Alphabetic Gamefics
by ShellGrad
Summary: Another spin-off of the alphabets of fluff series. This time Jane, Lisbon, and the team are playing games. Eventual Jisbon in the end! Not really one-shots this time.
1. Chapter A

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show, the characters, nor did I invent any of these games.**

**Hey everyone! I'm back with another spin-off of the alphabet series! This one isn't going to be a series of one-shots though. In this series, the chapters are going to be successive. So, it'll be somewhat of an actual story. Jane and Lisbon will get closer and closer throughout the chapters and eventually end up together because I have taken it upon myself to speed up the inevitable since Bruno Heller won't. As always, let me know what you think of the chapter!**

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><p><span>A is for Assassin<span>

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please?_" Jane asked with a heavy dose of whining in his voice.

"_No_." A hint of whining tinged Lisbon's voice, hoping he'd give up before she'd had enough and either shot him or gave into what he wanted.

"Come on, Lisbon. Aren't you the least bit curious to see who in the office would be the fastest?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Jane, this is a government agency. In a government building. The people of the state do not pay taxes so that government agents can spend their time playing childish games."

"Assassin is not a childish game, Lisbon. It's very serious."

Lisbon couldn't hide her smirk at the serious expression on his face. "Do whatever you want. Bertram will never approve it."

"Actually, he just did." The duo looked up to find Wainwright standing in the doorway of Lisbon's office.

"Sir?"

"Jane approached me with the idea. He made a case and I took it to the Director. We both think it'll be a very good training exercise for the whole bureau. We're also thinking of taking agents' performance in the game into consideration for promotions."

Lisbon turned her glare to Jane who avoided eye contact, choosing instead to look around her office with a less than innocent smirk.

"So, Agent Lisbon, is it safe to assume your team won't be participating in the CBI Assassin game?"

"Yes – No! I mean, my team would be more than happy to participate in the CBI Assassin activity, Sir." And with a nod, Wainwright left her office and scribbled the team's names on his list.

Lisbon turned to glare at Jane again who gave her a mega-watt smile and chuckled softly. "Oh come on, Lisbon. It'll be fun!"

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><p>A few days later, they all received an email containing a small list of CBI employees. They were instructed to "take out" these employees using the approved list of "weapons" listed at the bottom of the email. Upon "assassinating" an employee, the "assassin" would then take on the responsibility of the assassinated employee's list. Therefore, each assassin should carry a written copy of his or her list on them at all times. Last person standing is the ultimate assassin.<p>

Lisbon groaned at her desk and wrote the names on a small piece of paper. "Might as well make the best of it," she muttered to herself. Her phone rang right as she finished writing the last name. "Lisbon," she greeted as she picked up the phone.

"I just don't get it. Why would the boss sign us up for something like this?" Rigsby asked in the bullpen.

"Pressure," Cho answered as he continued to check your email.

"From who?"

"Their taking the results into consideration for promotions," Van Pelt answered.

"You think the boss is going to be promoted?" Rigsby tried and failed to keep the worried expression off his face.

"Negative, Rigsby," Jane answered from his spot on the leather couch with his eyes closed. "Lisbon doesn't want to be promoted. She enjoys being in the field too much. She's pressured to do it for you."

"Exactly," Cho agreed.

Jane chuckled. "Don't worry, Cho. You can still turn down the offers for your own team. I won't be telling Lisbon. We made that pact a long time ago, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Cho's shoulders loosened almost indiscernibly.

"What pact?" Van Pelt asked.

"The pact that Jane wouldn't tell mother bear that baby bear has been turning down amazing offers for years in order to keep working under her and Cho would tell Jane whenever we had a Red John case even if Jane was suspended," Rigsby answered when Cho and Jane ignored her question.

"Alright, everyone, grab your stuff and let's head out," Lisbon told them on her way to the elevator.

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><p>Exactly one month after the assassin game had started, Jane walked into the bullpen with closed case donuts from Marie's. He paused on his way to Lisbon's office to watch Van Pelt trying to wrestle a foam dart out of her titian hair. "I take it you're out then?" he asked her, biting back a laugh at her glare. The used-to-be rookie was picking up way too many Lisbon habits.<p>

He strolled into Lisbon's office and placed the bag on her desk. Lisbon always got first pick when Jane picked up the donuts. "Grace just got assassinated," he commented nonchalantly.

Lisbon picked out her donut and turned her attention back to the file open on her desk, a smirk playing on her lips the only evidence she had heard him.

He made his way to her couch and lay down. "It seems our having the highest closing rate is in fact due to me, my dear as I am one of the last standing assassins. I believe all of the other teams have been taken out already, except maybe Johnson. I bet he was the one who took out poor Van Pelt. I suspect I'll be –" He was cut off by a soft blow to his head. He looked down in his lap to see a foam dart identical to the one he'd seen in Van Pelt's hair moments ago.

He looked up in disbelief to see Lisbon's triumphant smirk. "Johnson was taken out last week," she said matter-of-factly.

He looked outside her office to see Rigsby handing a smirking Cho a ten dollar bill. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me, my dear, how long has my name been on your list?"

"Just after I took out Johnson. Took the man long enough to take out everyone else."

The little minx. She'd laid in wait as the CBI assassins waged war on one another and struck at the opportune time, taking out the top assassin then WAITING until her team's case had closed before taking out the last two assassins in one day. "Well played, my dear, well played."


	2. Chapter B

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would have more than enough money to pay off student loans.**

**AN: I think I've been too focused on the story and not showing enough of the games. The C chapter should have more of the actual game in the story. I think it just would have gotten a bit repetitive with battleship being played out. Leave your thoughts in the reviews! I almost always respond :) ...unless I can't think of a response.**

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><p>B is for Battleship<p>

"Stop thinking."

Lisbon rolled her eyes at Jane's nonchalant, sing-song voice interrupting her thoughts. "Stay out of my head," she retorted as she felt the wall for weak spots.

"Lisbon, our being stuck in Crawford's basement does not lessen your 'assassin' victory in the slightest. All that game did was prove that you're the best agent at the CBI. Now, use that brain of yours and admit that you're not any more likely to find a way out than you were an hour ago. The best we can do is wait for the team to get here when they decide to follow that trace you put on my phone."

"You were kidnapped, Jane! Granted, it was because you put a murderer behind bars but that doesn't matter. What mattered was making sure we had a way to find you if that ever happened again. I so don't want to go through your enemies list again." She sat down on an old couch, trying to ignore the cloud of dust she let loose once she did so.

He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on an old board game. "Hey, Lisbon, play a game with me?" He graced her with his most charming smile, his eyes twinkling.

"Really? That's what you want to do? Play a game?"

"Well, what else are we going to do? We can't get out. The only other two options are to wait for the team to come get us or wait for Crawford to come back and kill us, neither of which are particularly fun."

She looked at him incredulously.

"What? They're going to come get us; I'm sure of it."

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. They sat in silence for a moment before she turned around. "Okay, let's play."

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><p>"F5"<p>

"Damn." Lisbon placed the tiny red peg into her aircraft carrier before turning narrowed eyes at Jane. "You're cheating."

"Am not," he laughed.

"Are too!" She countered indignantly.

"How?"

She pointed an accusing finger at him. "That's the part I can't figure out yet. But you're cheating somehow."

He laughed at how she actually growled when he was about to ask 'how' again. Just then the door opened. Jane turned to see Cho resuming a straighter position, looking with slightly wide eyes between the Frisbee, the new dent in the basement door, and the pair of them. Jane turned back to Lisbon to find her standing with a golf club in her left hand.

"Boss, did you just throw a Frisbee at me?" Cho turned a confused expression to her as Jane rose his eyebrows.

Lisbon shrugged and dropped the pitching wedge before sauntering over to the door. "How was I supposed to know the difference between you and Crawford?"

Cho raised his eyebrows as he watched her walk by him and out of the house. He turned to Jane. "Battleship?"

Jane grinned charmingly. "Yes, well, dealing with an angry Lisbon is better than dealing with a panicked Lisbon."

Cho grunted his agreement and they left.

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><p>"How do you cheat at battleship?" Rigsby asked back at CBI. "The boss knows Jane. She'd never let him out of sight so he couldn't have looked at her board."<p>

"Unless he watched her put the pieces in and knew the general area," Cho pointed out.

Grace groaned from her desk. They'd been going on about this for five minutes. "Oh honestly, Wayne. He watched her eyes."

Both men turned to stare at her as Jane grinned from his couch.

"Have you two never played Battleship before? Jane calls out a letter and number. Lisbon looks down at her board, scans it with her eyes, and places a hit or miss peg. All he would have to do is watch where her eyes would land."

Again, they simply stared.

"What? There was more to my hometown than just farm animals."

"Excellent deduction, Grace."

She wasn't going to thank him. Honestly, the consultant was being just as childish as Cho and Rigsby today; not to mention her boss who was angrily pouting in her office. But she couldn't really blame Lisbon. Jane was always finding new ways to irritate them all, but mostly the petite brunette living in the glass office. "Jane, why do you always have to make Lisbon mad?"

"Well, it's just as I told Cho earlier: angry Lisbon is easier to deal with than panicking Lisbon."

"Easier to deal with because you make her angry more than any other emotion." She sighed and went back to her work as Jane ignored her retort in favor of pretending to sleep on his leather couch.


	3. Chapter C

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be writing it on this site? No, it would be on the show.**

**AN: I think this is a better mixture of story and game. This probably would have been easier as a bunch of one-shots but too late now :) Enjoy! Let me know your thoughts.**

**AN2: Going to try this again. Sorry fanfiction hasn't been letting you see this chapter :( and thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!**

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><p>C is for Clue<p>

"This is you making things up to me?" Lisbon looked around her disbelievingly. He'd be offended if he hadn't noticed the small smile she was failing to hide. "What is this place anyway?"

"It's Clue!" He bounced a little on his feet. "Well, technically it's a mansion a few friends of mine acquired and set up as a sort of life-size murder mystery game." He looked around at the questionable faces. "Oh, come on. There's no way I can possibly cheat at this and plus," he leaned in to whisper in Lisbon's ear, "I know you're excited about this."

She turned to scowl at him though the sparkle of excitement in her eye didn't make it seem anywhere near as intimidating. "Fine," she sighed in faux exasperation. "What do we do now?"

"Ah, Lisbon and Grace, you will go through there and change into your costumes – "

"Costumes?" Lisbon looked as if she would bolt.

" – and the boys'll follow me."

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><p>"Patrick Jane! Would you like to explain why the HELL I look like a freaking feather duster?" Jane looked Lisbon up and down, her blue silk dress fitting and flowing in all the right places. Yes, perhaps the peacock feathers on her hat, purse, and jewelry was a bit much; but it certainly didn't detract from the amazing dress and how well it fit her.<p>

"My dear, you look far from a feather duster. In fact, lose the accessories and you look absolutely beautiful." He grinned smugly at her blush before turning his attention to Van Pelt, clad in a skin-tight red, backless gown. "As I thought, red looks fantastic on you, my dear."

"I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies, Miss Scarlette," Lisbon retorted in an overly dramatic, nasally, southern accent. Van Pelt snickered to herself, taking it all in perfect stride. She actually felt more comfortable in the dress with Lisbon's sense of humor than she did with Rigsby's intentional averted gaze. The man looked at everything in the entire room _but_ her.

"_Gone With the Wind_. Nice, Boss," Cho complimented.

Lisbon smirked while Jane sent her a semi-chiding look. "Thanks, Cho. By the way, you make a nice Colonel Mustard." Cho snorted and Lisbon's smirk widened.

Jane rolled his eyes. "It's the best I could do with the characters available. Mr. Green is obviously more in sync with my past than either of them and Rigsby is far more able to play the absent-minded Professor Plum than Cho."

Rigsby's protest and Cho's laugh were both cut off by Lisbon. "Come on, guys. Let's go meet Jane's friends and figure out how to start the game." She looked around the room. "I guess we'll all take a room and look. Be back here in half an hour." They separated.

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><p>"Hey guys, I didn't see anyone – " Lisbon stepped into the hallway to see the team and an older woman standing around the body of a middle-aged man.<p>

"It's Mr. Boddy," Jane answered her unasked question.

"Is he really – "

"He's not dead; but he is unconscious. Usually he just pretends to be dead but, uh – " he smiled sheepishly and shook his head slightly, "I forgot to warn them ahead of time not to sneak up on a cop."

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Great. Now we may actually have a real murder."

"No, Lisbon, he'll be fine. If it'll make you feel better, we'll take him to the hospital as soon as we figure out who the killer is."

"Jane! Are you insane? This man needs help!"

"Don't worry, my dear Mrs. Peacock. We all know it takes me very little time to find the bad guy or bad girl in this case." His eyes bore into her, though the twinkle behind them made her feel less like a murder suspect.

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "And just why do you think I'm the murder suspect?"

"Well, let's start with the obvious, shall we? As I said, Mr. Boddy usually pretends to be dead. However," he pointed to a dark mark on the man's neck, "this dark mark on his jugular clearly indicates he's actually been hit. Clearly this is the work of someone with quick reflexes."

"Which could be any of us," everyone but Mrs. White and Jane pointed out.

"With the exception of myself and Mrs. White. Ah," he held up a finger to silence Lisbon's retort, "I may have quick reflexes but as you've all pointed out many times, I have more of a flight than fight response." Lisbon's scowl and the team's silence indicated he'd made his point. "Now, that leaves Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlette, and Mrs. Peacock."

"So why me?" Lisbon challenged.

"Ah, to know that we'd have to know the murder weapon. Now, based on bruising alone, it is unlikely the weapon was the revolver or the knife."

"Why?" Mrs. White asked.

"Because a cop would use the blade of the knife or shoot the gun rather than cause any bruising," Van Pelt answered.

"Precisely," Jane beamed. "Which leaves us with the rope (highly unlikely, there are no rope burns around his neck), the candlestick (a likely candidate), the wrench (another likely candidate), and the lead pipe (our third likely candidate)."

"You don't know the murder weapon?" Rigsby asked.

"Ha! You said we needed to know the murder weapon in order to know the murderer and you don't know the weapon. So you can't possibly accuse me." Lisbon crossed her arms and lifted her chin in triumph.

"Well, we can discern that if it was either of our top three candidates, then the bruising suggests that the murderer is shorter than the victim. That leaves Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard."

"So why isn't me?" Cho turned to him.

"Don't worry, old friend. We all believe you're quite capable of holding your own and killing someone that attacks you from behind. However, it was not you in this case but Mrs. Peacock." He sent a brilliant smile around the room, quite proud of himself, but was met with expressions that clearly needed more explanation. "He smells like cinnamon."

"So…" Van Pelt probed.

Jane's smile grew impossibly larger. "Mr. Boddy is allergic to cinnamon." Rigsby, Van Pelt, and Mrs. White furrowed their brows while Cho looked around, trying to put the final piece in place. Jane stalked toward Lisbon who looked at him with jade green doe eyes. "And a certain lady cop happens to smell like cinnamon. I smelled it for the first time when I was blind."

"Are you making an official guess, Mr. Green?" Mrs. White asked in voice as close to normal as she could manage with her husband lying unconscious on the floor.

"Yes. It was Mrs. Peacock in the billiards room with the lead pipe," he answered without taking his eyes from Lisbon.

"Congratulations, Patrick."

"Lead pipe, huh?" Lisbon raised an eyebrow, clearly indicating he had some explaining to do.

Jane held up a piece of paper between two fingers. "Told you I was the most convincing Mr. Green," he smirked.

She caught herself smiling back at him as she reached for the paper and opened it. "Patrick Jane! You picked my pocket?" When she looked up, he was gone and the team was hiding their smiles while they helped the now barely conscious man into the back of Mrs. White's car.


	4. Chapter D

**Disclaimer: Yeah, it's not mine. They're on loan from Bruno Heller specifically for the purpose of writing fanfiction and receiving no money for it :-)**

**Let me know what you think and leave any requests for game winners in a review. By the way, this is pre 4x13 because I just couldn't rewrite Lisbon and Rigsby's interaction. It was one of my favorite parts for this chapter! ****A lot of different interactions from the characters so I apologize if it seems a bit detached. I did the best I could.**

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><p>D is for Darts<p>

"What is wrong with you? You need to tell her." Lisbon repeatedly slapped Rigsby on the arm.

"Ow, Boss!" Rigsby tried in vain to block her blows. "You don't hit like a girl!"

"Wayne, you need to tell Grace. And no, I will not tell her for you," she pointed a finger at him when he opened his mouth to make that exact suggestion.

He closed his mouth resignedly. "You've been spending too much time with Jane," he grumbled.

"Grow a pair," Lisbon retorted as she jumped off her stool. "What?" She asked at his shocked expression. "I grew up with three brothers. Now, Cho and Jane are playing darts. Van Pelt's headed over here. I'm going to go to the ladies' room and _you_ are going to tell her!" She ordered before leaving.

"So, how are things going?" Van Pelt asked as she sat down on Lisbon's abandoned stool. "You look tired."

"Sarah's keeps throwing up. She can't really keep anything down."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Is she okay? Hope there's nothing going around. Be careful you don't catch it. Lisbon'll never let you back in the office," Van Pelt chuckled, glancing at their boss who had emerged from the restroom and sat at the bar.

"Actually," Rigsby took a deep breath and let it out, "she's pregnant."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

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><p>"Sarah's pregnant." Van Pelt sat heavily next to Lisbon.<p>

"Yeah," Lisbon sighed.

"Rigsby's gonna be a dad." She didn't have to say that part of her wished it was her. She knew Lisbon would've known that. Any woman would know that if they knew Wayne and Grace's relationship history.

Lisbon held up two fingers to the bartender who then brought over two shots of whiskey and set one in front of each of the women. "The heart wants what the heart wants, Van Pelt. To the heart," she held up her shot glass in a toast, "the illogical bitch." She tossed back the shot.

Van Pelt let out a small, sad chuckle before tossing back her own shot.

Lisbon stood up. "I think I'll go save Jane from getting his butt kicked at darts by Cho." She patted the younger agent's shoulder comfortingly before leaving.

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><p>"Hey, can I ask you something?" Rigsby looked sideways at Cho as they sat at the table crowded with beer bottles and bar food.<p>

"Why ask me if you can ask me when you're going to ask me anyway?"

Rigsby shook his head slightly. He took a deep breath, his eyes shifting between Jane and Lisbon standing in front of the dart board not far from their table and his partner sitting beside him. "Do you think there's anything going on between Jane and the boss?" He continued to explain after he received a raised eyebrow. "I mean, it's just the way they look at each other sometimes and the way Jane looked at the boss when we were at that mansion playing Clue."

Cho shrugged. "The boss looked nice."

"Well, yeah, she's attractive. But we didn't look at her like that."

"A woman can be attractive without us being attracted to her," Cho supplied.

"Yeah."

"You think Jane is attracted to Lisbon."

Rigsby blew out a big breath as Van Pelt came closer. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Cho said nothing in favor of taking a long pull from his beer.

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><p>Lisbon laughed. "Okay, you have to hold the dart straight." She adjusted him with her hands. "And stand like this." She tried to move his legs. She laughed as she nearly fell. "Your feet are heavy!"<p>

He laughed as he steadied her when she straightened and wobbled. "And you've had quite a bit to drink." She frowned in thought. He smiled as he smoothed the stubborn crease between her brows. "Stop trying to remember how many you had. You're not driving anywhere."

"Then how am I gonna get home?" She frowned in confusion.

"I'll take you," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before throwing a dart at the board, hitting the bull's eye.

"Ha!"

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><p>"He's broken." Cho glanced at Lisbon. He didn't have long before Jane pulled the car around and came back in to take her to her apartment.<p>

Lisbon sighed internally but kept her eyes on the dartboard as she sent a dart sailing through the air, not caring where it landed. "He's in love with his wife."

"A person can love more than one person at a time."

"He's not ready to move on, Cho. And even if he was, I am so not his type. You saw that plastic bimbo he brought in with him a while ago."

"He wasn't himself."

"Have you seen his wife?" She continued at Cho's silence. "She wasn't plastic but she was just as glamorous. Woman could've been a model."

"Yeah, I'm not havin' this conversation." Cho had never been happier to see Jane in his life. He knew the consultant would agree that the petite, fiery senior agent was just as beautiful, if even in a different way. But that didn't mean he was ready for the conversation.


	5. Chapter E

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would be so rich!**

**Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews! Keep 'em coming :)**

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><p>E is for Elevator Tag<p>

"Lisbon, this is bordering ridiculous!" Jane yelled as the elevator doors closed. He shook his head and headed for his couch, falling soundly on the worn leather and closing his eyes.

"What happened the other night?" Cho asked without looking up from his paperwork.

"Absolutely nothing, Cho, which makes her behavior all the more uncalled for."

"Huh," Cho grunted.

"Hey, any of you seen Lisbon?" Rigsby asked as he walked into the bullpen from the break room.

"She's playing elevator tag," Jane answered from his spot on the couch.

The first round had been as he'd arrived at the CBI that morning.

_Jane pulled his Citroen into his usual parking space at the CBI. He watched Lisbon's dark hair disappear behind elevator doors and vowed to get her to talk by the end of the day. She'd been avoiding him for three days._

_He walked into the bullpen to see her already in her office, buried in paperwork. And if the last few days were any indication, her door would be locked. And if he'd learned anything yesterday, picking the lock to join her was a bad idea. So, he decided to lie on his couch._

The second round was when she'd left for the crime scene.

_A few hours later, Lisbon emerged from her lair to tell them they had a case. "Van Pelt, on the computer; I want to know everything about the victims finances and calls when I get back. Rigsby, call Modesto PD and have them send the files from the prostitute case they worked a few weeks ago; case may have some similarities. And, Rigsby, stay on them. I don't care how busy they say they are or how many times they transfer you. Cho, you're with me. Jane, Wainwright wants to see you."_

_No, Wainwright hadn't wanted to see him. In retrospect, teaching her how to lie better may not have been the best idea. As soon as he caught a glimpse through the elevator doors, he saw the taillights of the CBI van exiting the parking garage._

The third round was when she'd come back from the crime scene.

_He'd waited in the bullpen, listening to Van Pelt and Rigsby in the background until he saw the van pull onto the lot. He'd had a great plan for catching her in the elevator. So, it was certainly a surprise to him when Cho was the only one staring back at him on the other side of the elevator. She'd taken one of the other elevators. He had to admit he was a little proud of her cleverness as well as slightly worried he'd become that predictable to her._

_Of course, she'd only talked about the case all day. Then, they'd caught a break. Well, she'd caught a break. She'd fled from her office and to the elevator. He was quicker this time, but apparently not quick enough. That's how he'd found himself lying on his couch again with the three stooges talking about him and Lisbon as if he wasn't even here._

"She's been avoiding Jane all day," Van Pelt clarified.

"They've switched personalities recently," Cho piped in.

"Why's Boss avoiding Jane?" Rigsby asked as he sat at his desk.

"The other night at the bar," Cho answered for Jane.

"I thought I was the one who used to pretend to be a psychic."

"What happened at the bar?" In his defense, he wasn't totally clueless. He had, after all, noticed there was something between Jane and Lisbon.

But Cho would grant the man mercy since he seemed to have a lot on his plate at the moment. "Don't know."

"Nothing happened," Jane insisted.

"Then why is Lisbon playing elevator tag?"

Jane sighed. Perhaps it was time to change the game…perhaps if he couldn't catch her in the elevator, he could catch her in her car. He stood and pressed the button. The elevator doors opened immediately, revealing none other than the elusive Lisbon herself. Perhaps giving up was the key to winning elevator tag. A megawatt smile graced his features at the thought.


	6. Chapter F

**Disclaimer: Nopity, nopity, no…**

**AN: Yes, I know, another tag game. BUT, I hope it isn't too repetitive. Sorry it has been awhile since I've updated. Life has kept me pretty busy. The basics of flashlight tag is the person who is 'it' has to shine a flashlight on the other players to tag them. **

**Warning: Contains slight violence.**

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><p>F is for Flashlight Tag<p>

"Hello?" Lisbon called out into the darkness. She ignored the pounding in her heart as she tried to tread lightly, listening for the tell-tale creaks of heavy feet on worn wood. She felt around her belt for her flashlight, quickly turning it on and scanning the room. A swift look told her she was alone.

_Trust your gut, Lisbon_. She sighed at Jane's voice echoing in her head. Her gut had told her to tell the team what was going on; tell them of the picture and the drink; tell them someone from her past had left her a message; tell them but no one else. But, she hadn't told them. She hadn't told anyone, not even Jane…especially Jane.

But, maybe she should have. After all, it had been a picture of the two of them that night at the bar as they were playing darts. She had almost fallen over teaching him how to stand properly to line up the perfect bulls-eye shot. But, she hadn't fallen. Because he'd caught her. Ironic, really, when you think about it. She was usually the one catching him. But, it had happened. She'd thought no one saw. She'd been wrong.

Jane had driven her home that night and walked her to the door. She'd gone in and he'd waited outside her apartment until he'd heard the lock click. Then he'd left, just as he'd told the team. Nothing had happened. There'd been no lingering hugs or touches. There'd been no kisses or drunken confessions. He was the perfect gentleman. And it took more than a couple of shots with a couple of beers to knock down her inhibitions that much.

She knew the team had been suspicious of him since she started avoiding him. She knew he'd defended himself against their teasing and was extremely confused about the whole thing. She almost felt bad for keeping him (and them) in the dark. But, she had to.

When she'd seen the picture on her kitchen counter next to the drink, her gut had screamed at her to tell the team. But, she hadn't. As strong as her gut instinct was, there was an instinct even stronger. The instinct to protect him, protect them. She'd lifted the prints herself; she'd learned a thing or two about forensics. She'd found the match that confirmed her suspicions but found nothing else useful from her searches. But, she hadn't really needed to find him. He'd found her. She'd finally given up her search in favor of a few hours of sleep when she'd found a cocktail napkin emblazoned with a familiar logo laying on her pillow. The only thing written on it in the familiar scrawl was the date and time for a week later. He knew she'd get anxious as the days passed. He would want her jumpy when they reunited face to face. She searched on her phone and found an abandoned bar of the same name just a few blocks from her apartment complex.

She felt a warm glow like a small light inside her when she reminded herself that she left all the evidence in a secret safe in her apartment. Jane had bought it for her after he'd picked her lock to her apartment. He knew how important some of her mother's things were to her. He was the only one who knew about the safe and knew where it was. He'd find everything. She knew he would. And there was no doubt in her mind that Van Pelt could hack into her computer to find the forensic results on the finger prints. She cringed at the thought Jane would put everything together. But, she needed him to. If things didn't go well tonight, she wasn't going to let this bastard get away with it. He'd go to jail if he hurt her. Her team would make sure of that…if they could keep Jane away from him.

She held in a gasp and prayed she hadn't jumped when she heard the soft pad of feet to her right, maybe 6 feet away from her. She turned her head and the flashlight quickly to the left. Too late; there was nothing there…or nothing she could see, anyway. She heard more footsteps behind her and spun, trying to shine the light on it. Again, nothing.

She heard noises again but they were all around her. She didn't know where to point the flashlight. Then she heard the footsteps directly behind her. She spun around…too late. Her eyes didn't even light on the familiar features before she felt the dreadfully familiar knuckles smash into her cheekbone.

"Lisbon," a far off voice whispered. She groaned. She wanted to stay in the blackness. There was less nausea there. That horrible blast from the past wasn't in the blackness. "Lisbon, please." The voice was a bit louder now. She frowned at the anxiousness laced in the voice. It was more than just that though. Was that really pure fear? "Lisbon! _Please_! You have to wake up! You _have_ to!" Was he pleading? Jane didn't plead for anything. She groaned aloud at the pain and inwardly at how she always seemed to cave to what he wanted.

"You know," Lisbon slowly turned her head to look at Jane through half swollen eyelids, "I used to play flashlight tag with my brothers." She turned her head back to the ceiling and let out a pathetic chuckle that quickly turned into painful grunts. She took a slow, deep breath to deal with the pain. "I never was good at that game. You can't see what's in front of you," she mumbled more to herself than to him, "or behind…or around you…anywhere…You just can't see." She vaguely heard him whisper her name as everything went black again.


	7. Chapter G

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist or the characters…BUT, I do own a 10 month old puppy :)**

**AN: So, here is the explanation for Lisbon's avoiding Jane in elevator tag and what was going on in flashlight tag. Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads. I love how many hits I've gotten on this story! Wish I had more reviews, though. Even if all you say is that you like it or don't like it. Sorry, the team isn't in this chapter either but the next chapter will be about the team and probably won't have much of Jane and Lisbon in it so I'll make up for it.**

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><p>G is for Guess Who?<p>

Jane sat on the end of her hospital bed. He brought a small box from behind his back. "I brought you a present," he explained with a childlike smile.

Lisbon leaned forward to look closer at the box then rolled her eyes when Jane drew it farther away and sent her a faux, chiding glare. He chuckled, glad she was feeling well enough to still roll her eyes at him.

Her eyes lit up and a brilliant smile graced her features when he set up the game board for Guess Who.

"Ladies first," Jane waved a theatrical hand at her game board.

Lisbon studied the panels in front of her, trying to determine the best way to go about eliminating the characters. "Okay, is this person a woman?"

"No," he answered. She flipped down all of the panels with women characters. "Does this person wear glasses?"

"No." He flipped down all of the panels of characters who were wearing glasses. "Is this guy bald?" She asked.

"No." He watched as she flipped down all of the panels that pictured bald men. Her posture was more relaxed than when he'd first arrived. He decided it was time to get some answers. "You knew him." It wasn't a question.

"I knew him," she conceded. Jane waited. "I knew him in Chicago." Lisbon threw him a bone.

"You used to date him."

"So what if I did?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"He's a bad guy, Lisbon," he cautioned.

"You think I don't know that?" She looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Did he think she forgot how she ended up here?

"Lisbon, you – "

She sighed dramatically. "Used to date him. _Used_ to, Jane, not anymore. That's in the past."

"Yes, but – "

"And what do you care who I date?" She questioned.

"Dated," Jane corrected.

"Doesn't matter, Jane. Who I date or dated is none of your business."

She clearly meant that to be the end of that particular conversation. He'd appease her for now. There were more important answers he needed and he still needed to prime her a bit more."Is this person blonde?"

"No." Jane flipped down all of the panels featuring blonde characters. "Does this guy have white hair?"

"Yes." He furrowed his brows as Lisbon triumphantly flipped all but three panels down. "What was the drink?"

Lisbon sighed. "It's called Green Eyed Lady."

Jane waited for more, seeing she wasn't going to give any. "The importance?"

"What, no guesses?" She smirked.

Jane pretended to study her intensely, earning him an amused, dimpled smile, before taking a guess. "A drink he invented for you?"

"Not exactly," Lisbon answered, though he wasn't deterred. After all, it was more important if she told him than him simply guessing correctly. It was certainly a lot more satisfying. "Scott was of the impression that everyone has a drink that defines them. I challenged that – "

"And flirted," he interjected.

"And he ended up making me that drink," Lisbon ignored his comment. "He said it defined me. So, I took a sip."

"And?" Jane probed.

She shrugged. "It's tropical, fruity, bitter-sweet (mostly sweet), and really strong. It has, I think, five different liquors in it."

"Beautiful, sweet, and packs a punch?" He smirked.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes.

"And it's the color of your eyes." She blushed. He'd met his objective. She was more relaxed 'd smoothed out the edges a little bit. That would help when he later asked something that was both more important and more sensitive. But for now, he decided to get back to the game at hand. "Does this person have red hair?"

"Yes." She was undeterred. She knew she would end up winning. He wasn't close enough to the right answer. She watched as Jane flipped all but three panels down. "Does this guy have facial hair?"

"Yes." He watched her flip a panel down and suddenly he couldn't hold it in anymore. "He ever hit you before?" It had slipped out. Sure, he'd been able to make it sound calm but he hadn't meant for it to come out that direct. Nothing but silence came from Lisbon as the tension filled the room and the air even seemed to have a chill to it. He had his answer from her silent, slightly ashamed (albeit very angry) demeanor. He certainly didn't need to hear her say it and make the situation more real. "Is this person a woman?" He proceeded with the game instead.

"No." Her voice had a forced calmness to it. Jane flipped a panel down. "Is it Joshua?" She guessed.

"Yes. Very well done, Lisbon." She gave him a small smile. He mentally hit himself for killing the good mood of the game but was happier that he'd gotten her talking to him again since that night at the bar. "You know you don't deserve that, right? Not then and not now."

"Why do you think I left?"

"Why did you go back last night?"

"I had some things to take care of."

"Sheep dip."

"I was curious."

"You wanted to see him." It was a soft accusation.

"He wanted to see me!" She wasn't sure why she felt the need to defend herself.

"You wanted to see him," Jane repeated.

"What's it to you?" She couldn't understand why this meant so much to him. He had no claim on her, had never even expressed interest in her. Sure, he teased and flirted but it meant nothing to him and she was sure he didn't think it meant anything to her.

She continued when Jane didn't answer. "It was unfinished business. Regardless of what you or anyone else thinks, I was not interested in any kind of relationship with him. He came to me. I had to see why, after all these years. Yes, it was a blast from the past. Obviously not a pleasant one or we'd be having this conversation in my office…if we would even be having this conversation at all! My point is: I keep _my_ past in the past. Obviously, not everyone does but _I do_." She crossed her arms in front of her.

He had a feeling she wasn't just referring to her ex-boyfriend the team was currently tracking down. He sighed. They were quiet a few moments when a thought hit him. "Who was your character?"

Lisbon smirked. "Guess who."


	8. Chapter H

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, we'd all be watching it on tv rather than reading it on fanfiction.**

**More story (and tying up loose ends) than game in this chapter. I had so many ideas for this chapter. I know I said this chapter would be mostly about the team but then I found that particular game of hide and seek to be boring. So, I threw in a little Wainwright :) By the way, I didn't plan the ending to this chapter...It just sort of happened and I ran with it. So, if it seems a little off, that's why.**

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><p>H is for Hide and Seek<p>

"Agent Lisbon, I was wondering…" Wainwright trailed off as he looked up to find the glass office he'd just walked into to be completely empty. The senior agent wasn't sitting behind the desk nor was the tornado of a consultant lying on her couch.

He headed out of her office to the bullpen to ask the team about the dynamic duo. "Hey, do you guys…" He glanced up to find all of the desks empty. He turned around slowly, as if his best agents would suddenly appear. "Where…Am I missing something?"

He headed to the attic in a last stitch attempt to find Jane. He sighed at the dusty emptiness.

He headed to autopsy, thinking there was a chance Lisbon or one of the team members would be talking to the coroner.

He headed to the place where the case files were stored, knowing Jane liked to peruse them when the current cases were at a stand-still.

He called their cell phones, every single member of the team, and not a single one of them was picking up. He walked to the bullpen one more time. "Agent Lisbon," he called in a soft sing-song voice, knowing he was really only talking to himself. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Just then, he heard the elevator ding and the doors open. He moved to watch the very person he was looking for step out wearing big, black sunglasses and escorted, with his hand customarily at her back, by none other than the blonde consultant Wainwright had also failed to find earlier.

"Agent Lisbon, I've been looking for you. Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?" Jane nearly felt Lisbon's heart stop beside him and began drawing small circles on her back with his thumb.

"Oh, she had an eye-doctor's appointment. You know how sensitive one's eyes can get after those drops dilate the pupils…inhumanely so," Jane answered for her, hearing her barely inaudible intake of breath as she began to breathe again.

"Oh, funny, I don't remember you telling me you had a doctor's appointment today."

"Really?" Jane nearly rolled his eyes at Lisbon's higher than normal pitch. "I could have sworn I gave it to you. You know, it probably just got lost in the sea of paperwork on my desk. I sincerely apologize, sir. It won't happen again. How about I go look for it right now? Jane, you're good at finding things; wanna help me find it?" She turned to look at him and Jane thanked his lucky stars no one could see Lisbon's eyes at the moment. Bosco was right, she did have honest eyes. And good people were always bad liars.

"Oh, that's not necessary. Just let me know next time, Agent Lisbon."

"Yes sir."

"Actually, the reason I was looking for you was because in this case file – " Wainwright was cut off by the sound of the elevator arriving and a very loud argument between its' occupants inside. The three of them watched the elevator doors open and her furious team members stepped out with an angry suspect in custody.

The five team members stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Jane himself was at a loss of what to do. Sure, if he had planned this and it didn't involve people he not only knew but also cared about, it would have been perfect. But, Jane knew all too well that they didn't live in a perfect world. To make matters worse, it was Lisbon's scumbag of an ex-boyfriend that broke the silence.

"Hello, Gorgeous. Let's see what's behind those glasses, my pretty green-eyed lady." His comment did the trick. Wainwright now knew something was up. Lisbon was both angry and embarrassed. Jane was shocked and angry. Van Pelt was stunned. Cho and Rigsby were confused just enough that Scott was able to throw his body forward, his lips crashing against Lisbon's and attempting to claim her. A second later, Jane wrapped his arms around Lisbon's middle and pulled her flush up against him just as Cho and Rigsby came to their senses and pulled the criminal back. They carted him off to an interrogation room before Lisbon could boil over and attack.

Wainwright cleared his throat and Jane awkwardly let go of Lisbon, remembering himself. He looked around, trying not to smirk as Lisbon straightened her shirt with a faint blush. "Lisbon, what happened to your eye?" The dynamic duo froze. Somehow, her sunglasses had been knocked askew during the scuffle, allowing her partially swollen black eye to become blatantly apparent. "I was going to ask if you knew that man," Wainwright continued. "But that seems a bit of an unnecessary question now, doesn't it? So, instead, I'll ask this: _How_ do you know him?"

Lisbon lowered her head and her voice, her small shame shining through once more. "Um, he's sort of an ex-boyfriend, sir." Wainwright placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her to her own office, Jane following obediently behind, where she recounted the whole story to him.

"So, this whole time you've been…?"

"In the hospital," Jane answered, ignoring the glare Lisbon sent him.

"And you're here because…? Agent Lisbon," he continued at her blank stare, "I do not expect my agents to return to work after a stay in the hospital."

"Sir, it isn't exactly like that. Jane got a text from the team saying they caught the guy but he's been off the map for years so I came in to make an ID."

"From the hospital." Wainwright sent her a look similar to one a father would send a child who'd just crossed the road without looking to save a small animal. Her heart was in the right place though her actions were slightly reckless.

"It wasn't that serious. The only reason I was there was because Jane was the one who arrived on the scene."

"And you were unconscious."

"Wait, Jane knew you were going in without back-up?"

"No, he came later. He didn't find out until it was already going down or after it already went down. I don't know. I'm not really sure on the details of that."

"Because you were unconscious," Jane reiterated, again ignoring the glare sent his way.

"How did you find out about this, Jane?"

"I picked the lock on her apartment," Jane shrugged as if it was obvious. "It was actually quite easy. Lisbon had all of the information in one place which is strange considering…" He suddenly turned to her, his anger barely masked on his face. "You! You did it! You did it on purpose! I can't believe that! You _actually_ set out all the information so that we'd know who it was and could track him down. You wanted us to catch the guy if you didn't…How could you – " He took a few deep breaths though they did nothing to calm him. "You didn't _know_ if you 'd ever make it back to your apartment. You knew I'd go snooping."

"You always do," Lisbon shrugged nonchalantly.

"You went in with a death wish!" Jane yelled before exiting her office and slamming the glass door.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment. "Sir, I…"

"Go make the ID, Agent Lisbon. Then I suggest you go home and get some rest." He turned to leave but paused at the door. "Just so you know, I'm not reporting any of this and I won't be telling your team members. I think it's important that they don't find out. However, Agent, I would – as your boss – like to point out that you can't very well expect your subordinates to trust you if you don't place the same trust in them. You have a great team…A great family," he corrected with a smile. "Families should trust each other."


	9. Chapter I

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. It'd be nice to own though.**

**Sorry it's a bit of short chapter, the shortest in the story so far. But, I didn't want to write 5 rounds of I Spy (which is more than likely since they're on stake-out in this chapter.) Hope you all still enjoy it. Reviews are always appreciated and thanks to everyone who has already reviewed. Also, feel free to leave any requests in the reviews. If it fits in the story line, I'll consider putting it in. If I don't update during the week, then I'll see you next weekend with another chapter!**

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><p>I is for I-Spy<p>

"I spy, with my little eye, something black." His remark met with silence, Jane turned to look at Lisbon. She obviously had every intention of ignoring him. "I suppose we could talk about Scott and – "

Lisbon sighed. I spy seemed a bit pointless in the dark but it was better than talking about their recent dispute. Besides, it wasn't like she could run away. They were on a stake-out. Jane had her cornered. "Is it in the car?"

Jane grinned. He hadn't quite gotten them past that particular hurdle. He was still angry and hurt, too. But, he'd allowed her to talk about everything but that as he usually avoided her like the plague whenever she had something important to talk to him about. Of course, that was assuming they had really talked since he'd stormed out of her office. Sure, they'd said a few words to one another every now and then but there hadn't really been much 'talking.' "Yes."

"Is it part of the car?"

He maneuvered his body to look at her full on while she still refused to so much as glance in his direction. "Yes."

Lisbon refused to show any reaction to his patronizingly impressed facial expression. She knew he was hurt but she was still mad at him for reacting like that, storming off like a moody teenager and leaving her in awkward silence with her disapproving boss. "Is it in the front seat?"

"Is it above my head?"

"You know, this isn't really how the game is played."

"This is how you and I play the game, Jane. Because, otherwise, I'm stuck with naming every object I can think of for the next twenty minutes, causing me to not play the game with you for about a month."

"I spy, with my little eye, an angry little princess."

"And I spy with my little eye a pretentious ass," Lisbon retorted.

"Yes."

"About time you owned up to it," Lisbon mumbled mostly to herself.

"Nice. Zinger. But what I really meant, Lisbon, was yes, it is above your head."

"Oh." They sat in awkward silence as she thought for a moment. "Is it the roof?"

"No."

Lisbon looked up and around them in the car. "Is it the review mirror?"

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head just slightly, indicating she was somewhat right.

"Is it the mirror itself?"

"Are mirrors black, Lisbon?"

She rolled her eyes. He smiled a little at the thought they were at least on some level of normalcy. She stared at the rearview mirror for a moment. "Is it the little flip thingy that keeps the headlights of the person behind you from blinding you?"

"Yes." He gave her a megawatt smile. "Your turn."

"Okay. I spy, with my little eye, something…" And they continued like that for hours. There were no arguments, no harsh words exchanged. They had plenty of time to talk and resolve their issues later. For Jane, tonight's stake-out game was all about achieving that ground level of classic banter.


	10. Chapter J

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, Grace would have stayed the hell away from the evil Bret Stiles.**

**So, it's the weekend again and I am back! Don't know how many chapters I'll post this weekend since I have midterms next week. But, all in good time. Anyway, this chapter is a little on the short side. Mostly because Cho isn't much of a talker. He gets straight to the point. He says a lot with very few words. Anyway, the next chapter will explain where the rest of the team is when this is happening.**

**This chapter is for Agent ERA who wanted some Cho wump. Sorry if this isn't exactly what you had in mind. It's a bit difficult for me to write Cho as anything but strong. Plus, it was a bit difficult to write that with an appropriate game.**

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><p>J is for Jenga<p>

"Jane," Cho greeted in his usual monotone from his hospital bed.

"Hey," Jane said as he strolled in carrying a small bag.

"Thought you'd be Lisbon."

"Ah, yes, well…I believe she was going to come until I insisted on coming and she's not exactly happy with me at the moment."

"You insisted on coming?"

"Yeah, well, it is somewhat my fault that you're in here." Cho sat up straighter in the bed, wincing when he inadvertently put weight on his injured shoulder. "I can help you with that, you know. Just some light hypnosis."

Cho shook his head slowly. "I'm a cop, Jane. We all are. It's our job to put our lives on the line," Cho said, choosing to ignore the offer for help.

"I'm under no illusions that I make it particularly easy."

"No, you don't but you close cases."

"Yes, you're not the only one who uses that excuse. Tell me, Cho, am I really just a means to an end?"

"Are we?" He countered with a raised eyebrow.

"No, actually," he breathed out, "if you want the honest truth." Cho let it go, knowing Jane really was being honest. The man had obviously developed feelings for Lisbon after all these years and, in turn, had grown fond of the team. So, it made sense he felt a little guilty that Cho had gotten shot during his latest 'master plan.' Apparently he was trying to lessen that guilt by trying to get in good with Cho, hence the honesty.

Jane only allowed the silence for a minute before reaching into the bag he brought with him to pull out a game. He smiled at Cho, receiving a small smirk in return.

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><p>"Give her a flower," Cho said after they had played in silence for long enough.<p>

"A flower?" Jane asked as he placed his Jenga piece on the top of the tower.

"Women like flowers. Let's them know you're thinking of them," Cho answered as he put all of his concentration on getting the Jenga piece out.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but Lisbon's not exactly the flower type."

"No, but Lisbon is the type of woman who wants a forever garden."

"A what?"

"Alfred Lord Tennyson. He once wrote 'If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.' Lisbon is the type who wants a forever garden."

"I thought we were talking about my argument with Lisbon, not love."

"Sure you did."

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><p><strong>Reviews are loved and appreciated. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this and reviewedalerted/favorited!**


	11. Chapter K

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

**So, this has about half game, half story. This is while Jane's at the hospital with Cho playing Jenga. Little longer than the last. Rating going up to T simply because it's a drinking game. Reviews are love! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. Now, here are the chapters I do not have games listed for: O, Q, V, X, and Z. Feel free to leave suggestions. :)**

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><p>K is for Kings<p>

"To Cho," Lisbon raised her shot glass. Rigsby and Van Pelt mirrored her before the three all downed their shots. "Now, I'm going to show you guys a game I learned in college. It's called Kings. Have you played it before?" Lisbon smirked as the pair shook their heads.

She took out a deck of cards and began shuffling. "Okay, so here's how it goes: whenever you draw a king, you pour some of your drink into this cup," she explained as she set an empty glass in the middle, "and whoever draws the fourth king has to drink the contents of this cup."

"That's it?"

Lisbon looked over to Van Pelt. "Well, there are different versions everywhere. This is the simplest version. I think there may be other rules but every time I played, I drank so it makes it a little more difficult to remember the rules."

"Okay, I think I got it." Both women laughed at the serious expression on Rigsby's face as he stared challengingly at the glass in the middle.

Lisbon stood and fanned the cards out to make a circle around the center cup.

The each played a few simple rounds before deciding to add more rules.

"Okay," Lisbon said, "Now, whenever you draw a 2, you have to take 2 drinks."

"Or how about 2 drinks to the person of your choice?" Van Pelt suggested and Rigsby inwardly groaned at the conspiratory looks and smiles between the two.

"Okay, two to the person of your choice but three is for the player," Rigsby compromised. There was no way he was going to be the only one leaving completely messed up.

After a few rounds, all three were having difficulty seeing straight. "I think that's a great place to stop," Lisbon said as she braced herself against the table and willed the room to stop spinning.

"Boss," Rigsby pointed to a spot about half a foot to her left, "I don't think you should drive home."

"I know," she nodded multiple times. "I'm gonna take a cab…as soon as I can remember my address."

"Don't worry, Boss," Van Pelt said as she attempted to stand. "I called Jane."

"You what? Van Pelt, what on Earth would possess you to do that?"

"Because she thinks you and I need to stop acting like children and start talking to each other again," Jane answered as he approached her. "And she's right."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Lisbon angrily grumbled as she headed for the exit. They all followed. Van Pelt and Rigsby watched the scene unfold as Lisbon began angrily marching down the road, Jane running after her.

"Lisbon, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going home!"

"Lisbon, please, let me drive you."

"No!"

"Fine, I'm sure you'll have no problem trying to explaining a public intoxication charge to Wainwright and Bertram." She stopped short at this but didn't move. Jane rolled his eyes at the thought she was most likely going through the pros and cons in her head at this very moment. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

She spun around to face him with a blazing fire in her eyes. "_I'M_ stubborn? You're the stubborn one! You were so wrapped up in being angry with me about what happened with Scott that you couldn't be bothered to tell me about the plan, the plan that got Cho shot! He could have killed, Jane! We _all_ could have been killed!"

"But he wasn't!"

"But he could have been! We _all_ could have been! Why didn't you just tell me? Why couldn't you just have told me and maybe we'd all be here together tonight? Why won't you talk to me anymore?"

"Because you thought you were going to die!" He took a deep breath, speaking softer this time. "You thought you were going to die and you were okay with that."

"And how many times have you gone off to almost certain death?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because I have you! You're the one who always finds me. You _always_ save me, Lisbon. I can go off because I know you'll always show up. Who was going to save you?"

"You did."

"No, he was already gone when I got there."

"Jane, why is it so important to you?"

"What?"

"Why is it so important to you? Why does it bother you so much? Because you aren't usually one to be a hypocrite."

"I can't lose you, Lisbon."

"Okay," she whispered, accepting he was telling the truth. She walked toward his car. She paused when she reached him, tiptoed up and kissed him on the cheek. She continued onward to his car, taking her place in the passenger seat to wait for him.

"Still counts," he said to himself with a smile, remembering her words from the last time he saw Sophie Miller.


	12. Chapter L

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist or its' fabulous characters.**

**Okay, CLEARLY, I let the flowers get the best of me for this chapter but I was just having so much fun that I couldn't stop. More story line than game but like I said, I just couldn't help myself. I encourage you all to google these flowers. A lot of them are so pretty! Reviews are love :) Thanks to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted!**

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><p>L is for Laser Tag<p>

Lisbon sauntered into the bullpen. "Alright guys, looks like we got plans for this Saturday."

Rigsby groaned. "Not again."

"Boss, it's only Monday," Van Pelt pointed out.

"Which is why I'm letting you know now so you won't have to cancel any plans," Lisbon explained.

"And no excuses for not showing up," Jane interjected.

Lisbon looked at him lying on his couch, eyes closed in feigned sleep as usual. "Oh, you don't have to go." She smirked when he sat up in confusion.

"What do you mean I don't have to go?"

"It's a training exercise. It's really only for those of us who carry guns." Lisbon smirked at him when she heard Rigsby groan again before putting on a straight face for the agent. "Got a problem, Rigsby?"

"No, Boss. It's just…we've done a lot of training. We get more cases than all of the other teams so we've got more experience. I just don't see why we have to do training."

"It's mandatory. And if you keep whining like that, I'll tell Wainwright to forget my little idea and we'll do regular training like everyone else."

Jane smiled as all three perked up at that. "What idea, Boss?" Van Pelt asked.

Lisbon shook her head triumphantly. "Nope, it's a secret!" Her triumph quickly transformed to disbelief as they looked to Jane in a horrible attempt to be discreet. "Oh, come on!" Jane just laughed.

"Um, delivery for Miss Lisbon?" They all turned to see a teenage boy awkwardly holding a bunch of sunflowers near the elevators.

Lisbon froze in momentary confusion before walking over and claiming the odd bouquet. She walked to the entrance of the bullpen. "Are those…" Van Pelt started.

"Sunflowers," Cho finished. He turned a raised eyebrow to Jane who merely smiled and shrugged.

"Who would send me sunflowers?"

"Secret admirer, maybe?" Rigsby offered.

"Aren't they supposed to send roses?" Lisbon asked.

"They're sort of beautiful," Van Pelt said, trying to be helpful.

"Jane, you know about this stuff. What do sunflowers mean?"

"Adoration, Lisbon." He chuckled at the look on her face, apparently even more confused than before. "It appears someone adores you."

She walked back towards her office. "Boss," Rigsby started.

"Not telling!" She called over her shoulder.

"Coward," Cho muttered under his breath. Jane shot him an annoyed look.

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><p>Monday went by without any exciting new cases and no real progress on the other cases. When Lisbon went home that night, she found a vase of yellow chrysanthemums on her kitchen table. This time there was a card, though it only held the name of the flower and the meaning: secret admirer. There was no name.<p>

Tuesday, she received a bouquet of flowers all telling how beautiful she was: hibiscus and orchid (delicate beauty), Queen Anne's lace (delicate feminity), and ranunculus (radiant). She had rolled her eyes but blushed nevertheless.

She had written off this secret admirer until Wednesday when she received numerous flowers throughout the day that meant so much more to her than Tuesday's bouquet. They were flowers telling of her personality as he saw her. Every time she turned around, there was a flower hidden somewhere. She found a larkspur (beautiful spirit) sitting on her desk when she came in that morning, a camellia (graciousness) in her coffee cup, and a freesia (spirited) next to the bottle of Ibuprofen. She nearly sat on a delphinium (boldness) that was placed in her desk chair. There was a ginger (proud) bloom on top of her computer and a gladiolus (strength of character) in her drawer that contained a small bottle of liquor for especially hard cases. She found jasmine (grace and elegance) woven in her computer keyboard when she came back from the bathroom. There was a hydrangea (perseverance) lying on top of her takeout order for lunch and a hyacinth (sincerity) presented with her dinner order. She loved every single one of them because they meant that this secret admirer was not only physically attracted to her, but mentally as well. It was not lust. It was love.

By Thursday, she knew who her secret admirer was. There was another bouquet of flowers that, to an outsider, would seem an odd collection but Lisbon figured it out (even if she did have Google help her). The anemone flower (fragile), heather (solitude), lavender (distrust), and rhododendron (beware) all spoke true but it was their accompaniment with the wisteria (steadfast), zinnia (thoughts of friends), pink tulip (caring), magnolia (dignity), and stargazer lily (ambition) that made her heart clench. This person knew her better than herself and accepted all the good as well as the bad. There was only one person who could and _would_ do that.

"Jane, can I see you in my office?" She called in a quiet voice, thankful her voice didn't break. He quietly stood and followed her in, shutting the door softly behind him. "Jane," she whispered, her voice breaking. The tears flowed silently, unable to be held back any longer.

He quickly stepped forward. "Hey," he shushed, rubbing her arms. "Lisbon, please don't cry. You still have another bouquet of flowers left and I guarantee you that one's going to be even better than this one. So you can't waste all your tears on this one, okay?"

She laughed. "Isn't this getting a bit expensive, Mr. Secret Admirer?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Better this than the horse track, right?" He sent her a brilliant smile before leaving her office. But instead of heading toward his couch, he disappeared in the direction of the elevators and no one saw him for the rest of the day.

It was that night when she got home that Lisbon learned just what Jane had been doing. On her kitchen table was perhaps the most important bouquet of the week. She gently touched each flower as she searched the meanings: alstroemeria (aspiring), apple blossom (promise), gardenia (joy), holly (domestic happiness), ivy (fidelity), pansy (loving thoughts), passion flower (passion), azalea (abundance), star of Bethlehem (hope), violet (faithfulness), red tulip (declaration of love), yellow tulip (hopelessly in love), and, finally, red and white roses (unity). He really truly loved her. The bouquet was exquisite and held so much promise. She just had to talk to him the next day.

Friday, they had gotten a new case and the conversation she had planned on was all forgotten. When Lisbon got back to her office, she found four singular flowers on her desk: a crocus (foresight), a bronze chrysanthemum (excitement), a lisianthus (calming), and a daisy (innocence). So, obviously, Jane had a plan and, as usual, he was excited about it. And she, apparently, was supposed to remain calm because his plan was apparently completely innocent. Yeah, right. Later that day, Jane walked into her office with his hands behind his back. He presented her a red chrysanthemum (sharing) with a flourish she couldn't help but smile at. Then, he told her of his plan to catch the killer. When she raised an eyebrow at him in slight disbelief, he finally brought his other hand around and presented her with a white chrysanthemum (truth) before slipping quietly out of her office but not without seeing her pretty blush. Sure enough, they'd caught their killer that night and laying in her car seat was a small bunch of statice (success) with a single snapdragon (presumptious), the latter making her actually laugh out loud and causing a few law enforcement officials to look at her as though she'd lost her mind.

Saturday morning she opened her front door to see a small bowl with water and floating flowers, a few stephanotis (good luck) surrounding a single black-eyed susan (encouragement).

* * *

><p>"Alright guys, here we are."<p>

"Uh, Boss?" Rigsby delegated himself spokesman of the confused group.

"Laser tag is a lot more fun than normal training, don't you think? I mean, I guess we could go train in the hot sun on the dusty training field and I can tell Wainwright I had a bad idea…"

"NO!"

Lisbon smiled as the three agents tried to collect themselves once more. "Well, then let's go kick some ass, team." The geared up with the target suits and laser guns and commenced with three hours' worth of laser tag. Everyone had won a few games. They'd even partnered up in all the different ways, each person learning more about one another and everyone's certain styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Cho smirked as the ever diligent Lisbon brought them together after every few rounds in a neutral meeting to point out the weaknesses and make one another think of how to cover it and make it better.

* * *

><p>The game had been fun but had exhausted her and what she wanted more than anything was a hot, relaxing bath to ease the muscles that were sure to be sore tomorrow. As she set her things down, she realized someone (most likely Jane) had been in her apartment. There were small flowers leading from her front door and all the way upstairs. They were bachelor button (anticipation). She laughed softly and decided to follow, having a good idea of where it would lead. Her suspicions were proven correct as she followed the trail into her bathroom. Beside her bathtub, in a thin but tall vase, were a single red carnation (flashy) and a solitary amaryllis (dramatic) which all made sense when she saw her bathtub filled nearly to the brim with cosmos (peaceful), geraniums (comfort), peonies (healing), yarrows (good health), and asters (contentment).<p> 


	13. Chapter M

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist or the characters.**

**By the way, for those who are curious, I got the flower meanings from . Thanks for all the reviews and love! Keep 'em coming :-)**

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><p>M is for Mother May I?<p>

Jane walked into the office Monday morning to find a single pink carnation (gratitude) lying on his leather couch. He smiled to himself, thinking of what Lisbon's reaction to his gifts had been. No, he hadn't spied outside her window. That was over the line creepy. He had been tempted though. He looked to the glass office to see her typing away on her computer, occasionally stopping to take a sip of coffee. Yep, now seemed as good a time as any to find out just where they stood.

Lisbon smiled without taking her eyes from her computer as her office door opened. Only one person in the entire bureau walked in her office without knocking. "Hey Jane," she greeted as he sat himself in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Hey Lisbon."

"Thanks for the flowers," she said nonchalantly.

Ah, so she was going to play things cool, was she? Okay, he'd have her blushing in no time. "You're welcome. Thanks for the flower," he said as he tucked it into his vest pocket.

He smiled victoriously as she blushed. "Yeah, well, I figured it was the best way to convey my message."

"Yes, it does have a bit of symmetry to it, doesn't it?"

"My thoughts exactly. But you probably already knew that."

"So, is the pink carnation your only response to the flowers?" He tilted his head a little.

Lisbon took a deep breath. "Not exactly," she hedged. She looked over his shoulder to see the others coming in. "Over the past week, I've been googling a lot of flower meanings; and after all of your gifts, I looked at them a bit closer." She paused to pick up a bag from underneath her desk. "This used to be you," she said as she laid the marigold (desire for riches) on the desk between them. "And, somehow you turned into this." She laid a daffodil (chivalry) beside it. "Now, I don't know if some part of you will always be marigold just as some part of me may always be an anemone flower and, really, that's fine with me. Now," she continued as she took three flowers out of the bag, "we've always had this. Well, for a long time anyway." She laid the pink rose (friendship) between them. "But, it's up to you which flower comes next." She laid the last two flowers on the desk: the red rose (passionate love) and the striped carnation (refusal).

"And how exactly is it up to me? Let me guess, you have ground rules."

"Yes."

"I'm guessing no kissing in the office."

"Correct."

"No kissing in the field?"

"No kissing in the field."

"Mother may I do anything in the office?" She narrowed her eyes at him. He brought a white tulip (forgiveness) in front of his face.

She took it and brought it to her nose, breathing in its' scent. "I have a feeling I'm going to get an office full of these eventually."

"Lisbon, it really does feel a bit like Mother May I. I could ask to do something and you could say yes but most likely you're going to come up with an alternative."

"The team can't know, Jane. And beyond that, there's professionalism at stake. People already think you get away with so much because we're sleeping together. If they found out we actually _did_ start a relationship, I've lost all credibility."

"Do you really think the team wouldn't approve? This was partially Cho's idea in the first place."

"This has nothing to do with their approval. I'm a grown woman. The only approval I need is between you and me. And how was any of this Cho's idea?"

"Because you're the type of woman who wants a forever garden."

"A what?"

"Did you know Cho reads Tennyson?"

"I'm confused."

"Is that what this is really about?"

"Are we having the same conversation?"

"Do you want to keep it from Van Pelt and Rigsby because of the way their relationship ended."

"No, I…why would you think that? Pshh, you're…no."

"Lisbon, they chose to be apart. Rigsby was willing to transfer. Van Pelt was the one who broke it off. I guarantee you she'll squeal if she finds out we're together. Rigsby may be a bit put off but that's only because you treat him somewhere between an older sister and a mother hen…or bear might be the more appropriate term as you can be a bit violent."

"Jane."

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "Let's see…Mother may I cook you dinner at your place tomorrow night?"

"Yes, you may." She smirked and tossed the striped carnation in the trash, earning her a wide grin from the blonde consultant.


	14. Chapter N

**Disclaimer: SOOOO not getting paid to do this :)**

**I am just as surprised as you all are that these updates are coming so often and during midterm week…I avoid things when I'm stressed, haha. Anyway, thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing! You all are awesome! Keep 'em comin'.**

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><p>N is for Ninety-Nine<p>

Jane raised an eyebrow when Lisbon opened the door with wine glass in hand. "No need to be nervous, Teresa. It's just dinner," he assured her as he passed on his way to the kitchen, bags in hand.

"_Just_ dinner," she retorted as she closed the door and followed him. "Like those flowers were _just_ flowers." She leaned in the doorway, refusing to put down her glass.

He began taking things out of bags and putting them away. "I assure you we won't be going past our first kiss. Well, tonight, anyway."

"You really are old-fashioned in every sense, aren't you?"

"Yes and no. But the real reason has to do with your fling with Mashburn. Oh, yes, don't think I don't know about that." He smiled as her mouth hung open.

"I didn't love him," she said quietly when she finally found the words to say.

"I know." He smirked. Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Either way, I'm not letting you think this will just be a one-night stand. We might as well face it, Lisbon. There's no going back from here. Things will always be different, regardless if we stay together forever or if it doesn't work out."

Lisbon took a deep breath and blew it out. "Think this was a mistake?"

He stopped his movements and met her eyes. "What do you think?"

She smiled and walked over to him, putting her wine glass down. "What can I do to help?" He smiled and passed her the things he'd picked up for the salad.

* * *

><p>"Cards?" Lisbon raised a disbelieving eyebrow.<p>

Jane chuckled but continued to shuffle. "How about you pick the game," he compromised.

She smiled and took the cards from him. "You ever play Ninety-Nine?"

"Nope."

"Okay, well each player starts out with three pennies. You add up the cards in the pile to 99. Whoever goes over 99 loses and has to put a penny in the middle. Once you're out of pennies, you still get to play until you lose and then you're out for good."

"Care to make that more interesting?" He challenged.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Instead of pennies, what if we write something down on a piece of paper? Whoever loses in the end has to do everything on the piece of paper for the winner."

"What about the grace period?"

"Winner's choice," he smirked.

"You're on," she said as she dealt them both three cards each. "So, here's how it goes," she said after they'd both written down their favors. "There's a two on the pile so whatever you put down, add to that and call out the total. Then, pick up another card to replace the one you put down. Aces, tens, nines, fours, and kings are special cards. Aces can be one or eleven. Tens can be plus or minus. Nines are the same. Fours are reverse but that could be confusing with just the two of us so we can throw that out if you want. Kings are 99. Oh, and jacks and queens are ten. Got that, wonder boy?"

"What do you think, Pepper?" She gave him a dimpled smile and he laid down a card. "Ten."

"Fifteen."

"Twenty-one."

"Twenty-seven."

"Thirty-three."

"Forty-three."

"Fifty-three."

"Sixty-three."

"Ninety-nine," Jane challenged, laying down a king.

"Ninety-nine." Lisbon laid down a nine.

"Ninety-nine."

"Ninety-nine."

"One hundred and one Dalmatians," Jane said, not breaking eye contact. Lisbon laughed out loud and looked down at the three lying on top of the pile of cards. "Not a bad game. Something you learned in college?"

"Yep. It's funnier when there are more players and they've been drinking. It's harder for them to count and they keep losing track of whose turn it is."

"I can see that."

They played five more rounds. They were now both on their grace period, the six pieces of paper in the middle. It was the last round. Winner takes all. Lisbon looked at the three cards and back at the pile. She sighed and laid the hand out on the table. "Looks like you win, wonder boy."

"Did you have doubts, Pepper?"

"Oh, come on, it was neck and neck at the end!"

She rolled her eyes at his megawatt smile. He reached forward and gently grabbed her wrist, causing her to hold her breath. He suppressed a smile when he felt her pulse pick up speed. He turned her wrist to check the time on her watch, causing her to snatch her hand back to lightly smack him on the arm. He chuckled and stood. "It's getting late. I should get going."

She stood and walked him to the door. "You going back to the CBI?"

"No, mother hen, and I'm not going to the Malibu house either."

"Okay then." She didn't want to push too hard too fast. That was the trick to getting Patrick Jane to talk.

He turned to face her as he stood in front of her door. He reached forward and brushed a few stray curls behind her ear. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as he looked deep into her eyes. "I had a great time tonight, Teresa."

"Yeah," she breathed.

If he hadn't wanted to ruin the moment, he would have teased her right then. Instead, he leaned forward slowly, giving her time to pull back in case she changed her mind. When her eyes fluttered close, he pressed his soft lips against hers. The kiss was soft, slow, sensual, heady…an intoxication that had nothing to do with the measly glass of wine they'd each had. He pulled back before things went much farther than he'd be able to control. Somehow he knew those jade eyes would be searching his right now, searching for some master plan as if she was just a pawn in some game of his, and he was absolutely ecstatic when they seemed to accept this was all real.

"Goodnight, Teresa."

"Goodnight, Patrick."


	15. Chapter O

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and love! Keep reading :D and let me know what you think.**

* * *

><p>O is for Operation<p>

"Boss?" Cho turned the corner and stopped in his tracks to see Lisbon sitting with their witness, a 5 year old little girl with soft brown curls and bright baby blue eyes, in a small, deserted waiting room at the hospital. The team nearly ran into the back of him and froze when their eyes caught the sight before him. Their tough, fearless leader was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the little girl, the game Operation on the table in front of them.

The little girl huffed in frustration when the game continued to buzz as she hit the metal sides while trying to remove one of the game pieces from the comical looking man, causing Lisbon to grin at her. "See? It's _really_ hard to get those out. So, that's what's taking the doctors so long. They want to make sure they get everything out. But they have to go _really_ slow and be _really_ patient so that they can do their absolute _best_ job and take care of your mommy."

"Lisbon."

She turned to see Jane step forward from the rest of the team. She held up a finger and turned to the little girl again. "Hey, Maddie, I have to go talk to my friend for a little bit but I'm going to be right outside the door, okay?"

"In the door!"

"In the door," she amended calmly. "While I'm talking to my friend, why don't you show Grace how to play this game?" She motioned without looking and Van Pelt approached slowly. "Grace is a really good friend of mine. She works with me at the CBI."

"She cop too?"

"Yes, she's a cop too. I'm going to be right out there, okay? Grace is really nice." She stood and left the two to play the game as she joined Jane, Rigsby, and Cho. "Hey," she greeted as if it none of that had just happened.

"Hey," Jane said.

"Nice to know you're safe," said Cho.

"Boss, you haven't been answering your phone for two hours. No one knew where you were." Rigsby wasn't going to be blunt but he sure wasn't going to act like nothing was wrong. He had been worried like the rest of them, though none as worried as Jane had been.

"I'm fine, Wayne." Lisbon placed a calm, reassuring hand on his arm. "Maddie lives down the hall from me in my apartment complex. She caught me right as I was leaving this morning and told me someone hurt her mommy. So, I called the paramedics and brought Maddie to the hospital. I've been sitting with her until her mom gets out of surgery. Once she gets out of surgery, Maddie can stay in the room with her and she should be out in about an hour or so. Now, what's so important that has you two freaked out?"

"Three," Jane corrected.

"Three?" Lisbon raised an eyebrow.

"Can't forget Van Pelt," Jane shrugged.

"Four," Cho corrected. "We got a lead on the McCullen case."

"You know how to run an investigation, Cho. The three of you are highly trained agents. Cho, take the lead until I get back. I really am fine, Wayne."

"You sure, Boss?" She gave him a look. "Yeah, okay. We'll see you later."

"Ah, they're just worried about you," Jane said after the guys disappeared around the corner.

"Yeah, so I heard." She was giving him the opportunity to confess his own worries, which he didn't take.

"So, Operation?"

"Yeah, she was wondering what was taking so long and why she couldn't see her mommy."

"Clever."

Lisbon shrugged. "I used it with Tommy once. I was trying to explain how they fixed my…um, collar bone," she finished, looking away. She hadn't really meant to divulge that much. It had only been a few weeks since their first date.

Jane gently pulled her out of the doorway and out of sight. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. She wrapped her arms around his neck just before she heard a small voice call out. "Teesa!" Jane felt a small hand slap at his leg. "You no take my Teesa!"

He bent down to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry. See, Teesa didn't come into work because she was helping you and your mommy. And when she didn't come into work, we got _really_ worried. So, I was just telling Teesa how glad I was that she was okay."

The little girl seemed to consider him for a moment before nodding and leading them back into the hospital room. "Sorry, Boss. I would've stopped her but she's fast. I couldn't get up fast enough to catch her."

"You're fine, Grace. The guys just left. They're going to run down the lead you guys got."

"Okay, I'll go catch up to them. You coming, Jane?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping Maddie would teach me how to play Operation." Lisbon and Van Pelt exchanged smiles before Van Pelt left and Lisbon sat down on the floor to join Jane and Maddie.


	16. Chapter P

**Disclaimer: I make no money writing all of this. It's all for fun :) and fun it is**

**Thanks for all the reviews and love! Let me know how you like this next chapter :)**

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><p>P is for Paintball<p>

"Hey, Jane, what do you know about paintball?" Lisbon asked.

"A ridiculous excuse to run around pelting other people with little balls of paint," he answered.

"I would have thought it'd be right up your alley, Jane," said Van Pelt.

"Very violent. I'm starting to think your training as cops is really training to ignore all your instincts for survival."

"Strategy, aim, skill, avoiding being hit, chance to prove you're better than everyone else…You're right, not your style at all." Cho deadpanned.

Lisbon smirked. "Johnson and I had a little disagreement over whose turn it was pull duty on Christmas so our teams are going to play for it. Winner gets a week off for Christmas." Jane motioned for more explanation. "We were wondering if you could help us figure out what their likely strategy would be so we know what we need to do to win."

Jane scrutinized each of them. "And why would I want to do that?"

Lisbon cut off their jumbled arguments, knowing none of them would be valid enough for Jane. She walked toward him, keeping her face firm and angry until none of the team could see her smile seductively. She leaned forward and whispered in Jane's ear.

The team watched silently as Jane's eyes bulged slightly and he seemed to stop breathing for a moment. Lisbon pulled back and he searched her face as if to see if she was serious about whatever threat none of them had actually heard. He gulped slightly and nodded. "I'll see what I can find out." He turned toward the elevators.

"Third floor," Lisbon called out as she walked toward her office with a big smile on her face.

Rigsby turned to Cho. "What do you think she said to him?"

"Don't know."

"It must have been something bad," Van Pelt added.

* * *

><p>"You know, if you want to keep this out of the office and away from the team, you shouldn't say things like that in front of the team," Jane chastised as he plopped down on the couch in her office.<p>

Lisbon laughed as she typed. "Oh, please. They all think I threatened you. I think I even heard Rigsby say he thinks I threatened to cut your manhood off."

"If he only knew what you _really_ plan on doing with my manhood," he smirked devilishly.

"He might actually not eat anything for the rest of the day," she finished. They both laughed softly before slipping into a comfortable silence.

"Lisbon?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really learn things like that in yoga?"

She just smiled and shook her head, choosing not to answer. She'd let him wonder until that fateful night came.

* * *

><p>"Alright, according to Jane, our best bet is to divide and concur with the sniper and walkie-talkie route. Now, that means we need someone on the ground to lure them out. Cho, you're best at sniper so you're out for that. Van Pelt, you up for the job?"<p>

"Sure thing, Boss." She beamed at the chance to prove herself.

"Good. Cho, I want you to the east. Rigsby, west. I'll take south. Van Pelt, you lead them in from the north." They split up, heading to their designated directions.

Within half an hour, Lisbon, Rigsby, and Cho saw paint pellets flying beneath them and hitting the rocks and shrubbery. Van Pelt took cover behind a boulder as she saw well-aimed paint pellets fly past her, taking out the rival team. She watched her team members and boss start to make their way down from the ledges. She stood and turned around to see Johnson's eye goggles covered in paint. She laughed as she thought of how lucky she was to be on Lisbon's side rather than against her.


	17. Chapter Q

**Disclaimer: Need I even say it anymore?**

**I know I fudged a little bit for this one but I was having trouble finding a good game.**

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><p>Q is for 20 Questions<p>

The doorbell rang. "Mm-mm," Jane tried to stop Lisbon before she even tried to get up. He held her closer, tightening his grip, and continued to kiss her.

She smiled against his lips. "I have to see who it is." He gently pushed her back so she was lying on her back on the couch and covered her body with his. She laughed but he was not to be deterred, nipping at her pulse point. She sighed and let her eyes flutter close only to open them again at the sound of the doorbell. Before Jane could protest, he felt his back against the couch cushions and saw Lisbon making her way to the front door, freezing for a moment as she peered through the peep hole. She sighed and opened the door. "Hey."

"We need to talk."

Jane froze at the sound of Cho's voice. Lisbon stood aside and the team stepped inside, staring at Jane (now calmly, outwardly composed) lying on the couch. "Hey."

Lisbon came and sat beside Jane on the couch, making him sit up. He resisted the instinct to put his arm around her shoulders. "So, Cho. What is it that we need to talk about?"

"Are you two together?"

"Yes," she answered, causing Jane to grin like an idiot and put his arm around her shoulders. "Really? Now?" she whispered to him.

"How long?"

"A few months."

"Why?"

"You told me to give her a flower, Cho."

"He means why didn't you tell us?" Van Pelt asked.

"Yeah, why did you guys have to keep it a secret from us?" Rigsby asked.

"What is this? Twenty questions?"

"Now, Lisbon, they have a right. To answer your question, Lisbon was worried about how receptive you two would be given that you two had to split up in the past." Van Pelt and Rigsby looked in opposite directions while Lisbon looked down sheepishly.

"Grace, I understand if this makes you a little uncomfortable. I know it isn't really fair…"

"No, Boss, don't. I'm happy for you and Jane. Really." Lisbon stood and gave Van Pelt the hug she knew the younger agent was dying to give.

"Told you so, Teresa."

"Shut up, _Patrick_."

"So, what were you guys up to when we came over?" Rigsby innocently looked between a blushing Lisbon and a chuckling Jane.

"And that's our last question of the night." Cho clapped a hand on Rigsby's shoulder. "Come on, man. We'll stop and get a burger."

"Night, Boss. Jane." Van Pelt followed the guys out, leaving Jane and Lisbon alone once again.

"You know, we could play twenty questions," Jane suggested.

"We could," she agreed, stepping forward and running her finger along his vest.

"Unless you have something better in mind." He smirked devilishly before their lips met.


	18. Chapter R

**Disclaimer: Don't own the Mentalist.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and love! Keep it up! Sorry it's short. I kinda had to force it out. I had absolutely no inspiration for this. Still don't have a game for Chapter V. Leave any ideas in a review if you think of something :)**

**Anyone remember that scene where Grace is driving and Lisbon is glum because the bad guy's going to get away but then Grace pulls off some serious driving skills? Then Lisbon says she should get Van Pelt out of the office more often. Well, welcome back crazy driving Grace Van Pelt.**

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><p>R is for Racing<p>

"Seriously, Lisbon. How many times do we have a murder investigation at a race track?"

"I don't care how rare it is, Jane. No one – and I repeat, NO ONE – is going undercover as a racecar driver nor is anyone setting foot in a racecar while we are here."

"But – "

"Safety first."

"You sound like a soccer mom."

"If you don't stop it, so help me, I will slap you into next week!"

ALPHABETIC GAMEFICS

"Nod your head if you can hear me, Grace. Good," Lisbon said after she saw the redhead nod. She lowered her binoculars to glare at Jane. "I hate you."

"No you don't," he smirked.

"She could get herself killed."

"Might I point out, mother hen, that you were the one who chose Van Pelt. I was all for putting myself in danger."

"Yeah, like anyone in the racing community would believe you were one of them. Van Pelt can pull off the jump suit and has some serious driving skills when chasing after something and when being evasive."

"Van Pelt, stop smiling." Cho's voice brought Lisbon back to the present situation. "Boss, cover your mic when complimenting an undercover agent."

"Kiss my ass, Cho," Van Pelt muttered discretely before walking up to her pit crew, their suspects.

ALPHABETIC GAMEFICS

"I don't like this," Lisbon muttered and shook her head, her eyes glued to the binoculars.

"Come on. She's in the lead!"

"That is not the point, Jane! If we're right and one of the crew is the murderer, they probably sabotaged the car Grace is driving at this very moment."

"You were certainly right about Grace having some serious driving skills," Jane commented as they watched her passing cars left and right. They all cheered along with the crowd, even Cho. Just as Lisbon was starting to think everything would be okay, the engine caught fire.


	19. Chapter S

**Disclaimer: not mine :(**

**Short again, but on purpose this time. Thanks for all the reviews and love! How about some more? :D**

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><p>S is for Solitaire<p>

Jane smirked as Lisbon wordless reached into his jacket pocket and took out the pack of cards he always kept in there. She went about shuffling the cards and arranging them in rows in front of her, oblivious to the three pairs of eyes on her. Jane watched on in amusement while Cho and Rigsby were shocked into silence at the bold familiarity.

"How long do you think she's been comfortable doing that?" Rigsby whispered to Cho.

"Yeah, I'm not going there."

Jane smiled, knowing it was the first time she'd done it and wondering if she even realized it. He leaned forward to watch her count off three cards from the remaining deck and place it in front of her. "Whatcha doin?" He asked quietly.

"Playing solitaire."

"That sounds like an awfully lonely game. You still mad at me?"

"Mmm. No, not really."

"And exactly which part are you replying to?"

"Both." She smirked. "I'm not really all that mad. It wasn't really your fault, anyway. Yes, it may have been your idea but I didn't have a choice once Wainwright decided we had to do it. Besides, I was only ever mad at you because you either didn't think about the consequences or didn't care about the consequences. This time you knew full well what the consequences were and didn't want one of the team to do it."

"Actually, I only objected to you and Grace going undercover. If you'll remember, I was the one who suggested Rigsby be the driver." Jane ignored the inevitable glare from Rigbsy, just out of eyesight.

"Doesn't matter. You still knew the consequences and cared this time. I can't be mad at that. Besides, I'm the reason that Van Pelt's in that hospital bed, not you."

He sighed. "Teresa…"

"No, really. It _is_ my fault this time. I'm the senior agent. I should have been the one in that car, not her."

"So why weren't you the one in the car?"

"I told you before. She fit in the best but that doesn't matter. I've been undercover before. I know how to act. I could have pulled off a convincing enough act."

"So if you could have, why didn't you?"

"Because I thought this would have been a great experience for her. She sits in that office all the time and she _is_ really good on the computer… But, it isn't the same as being in the field. We all know that…Well, except maybe you."

"Hmm. That sounds like a pretty good reason."

"But – "

"Lisbon, you didn't rig that engine to explode."

"Just like you – " She cut herself off.

"Just like I what, Lisbon?"

"Nothing. It's not important."

"Lisbon."

"Just let it go, Jane."

"Excuse me, are you the CBI agents that work with Miss Van Pelt?" They all looked up at the doctor. Lisbon stood and shook his hand. "She's doing just fine. Only one of you may go back at a time."

"Thank you, Doctor." Lisbon made her way to Grace's hospital room, leaving the boys in the waiting room.

Cho turned to Jane. "She was going to say you weren't the one who held the blade that killed your family."

"I know. But she wouldn't say it."

"Boss is too considerate to do that."

Jane sighed. "She needs to stop walking on eggshells around me."

Cho grunted. "Really? So you talk about her parents much?"

"Touché." He turned to the abandoned cards and picked up where Lisbon left off.

Ten minutes later, Lisbon came back. Cho and Rigsby stood. "She's doing just fine," she assured them. "They're keeping her overnight just to be safe but she's perfectly fine. She's asleep right now. I told her I'd stop by tomorrow and drive her home. So, you guys can go home. She won't be waking up again until morning."

"Later, Boss."

"Night, Boss."

Lisbon turned to Jane. "You're wrong, Lisbon." He paused for dramatic effect. "Solitaire is a lonely game."

She chuckled in spite of herself. "So you've never heard of double solitaire?"

"Huh. Well, there is a much more fun game we could play together."

"Oh really?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And what is that?"

He smiled wickedly. "I'll give you a hint. There's a movie of the same name."

"That could be anything."

"Just wait. It'll be worth it. I promise."


	20. Chapter T

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

**Thank you all for the reviews and love! I know I haven't replied to your reviews like I normally do. Those who reviewed before Chapter S was posted, I was writing that chapter at the time. Those who reviewed in that crazy time between the chapter being posted and the chapter being available to read, I honestly couldn't decide what to say. But, I do appreciate all of the feedback :D I'm amazed at how well this story is going over, especially since I'm not even sure where it's leading me :) Also, thanks to those who left suggestions for Chapter V. I'm still searching. We'll see where we all land :)**

* * *

><p>T is for Twister<p>

"Twister?" Lisbon raised an eyebrow.

"Thought it might lighten your mood," he admitted quietly.

"Or at least get me closer to you."

"Yes, well, I considered naked twister but I figured that was unlikely." She gave him a look that said he was exactly right in his assumption and he chuckled quietly to himself. "Shall we?" He gestured to the plastic mat with colorful circles lying on her living room floor. Lisbon sauntered over and flicked the black spinner. They looked at each other before heading to the mat. Right hand, yellow.

Jane flicked the spinner. Left foot, blue. Easy enough, they both thought as they silently placed their left feet on a blue circle.

Lisbon twirled the spinner. Right foot, yellow. They twisted to get a comfortable position. Lisbon laughed lightly at the thought that Jane had no choice but to stare directly at her butt at this point. They looked ridiculous on all fours with their left hands hovering in the air.

Jane flicked the spinner and watched it whirl, deciding their balancing fate. Left hand, yellow. They both went for a yellow circle underneath them, causing them to both fall on the mat. Lisbon squealed before joining Jane in laughing.

"Oh, this was just as much fun as I thought it would be."

"You mean you never played this as a kid?" She adjusted herself on the floor to look at him.

"Does that really surprise you?"

She thought it over for a moment. "No, I guess not."

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Ever play twister as a kid."

"In school and at friends' houses occasionally."

"Not at home?"

She deflated a bit. "No," she answered quietly.

"You don't talk much about your childhood."

"Neither do you." They stared in a silent challenge. "Jane, I've made peace with my past. I have no reason to bring it up. Yes, there were some good times and I'd love to share them with you some time but there were also some bad times. Okay, mostly bad times. And I don't feel the need to relive them. I've made peace with it."

"And I haven't." It was a statement rather than a question though he clearly wanted a response. He was fishing…but for what?

"Well, how could you? We need to get Red John. Once he pays for everything he's done, it'll be easier to move on. Don't you think?"

"I've been telling myself that for nearly a decade."

She nodded.

"Really? That's it?"

She shrugged. "What else is there?"

"You mean to tell me that you're not going to tell me that getting Red John won't bring my family back?"

"You already know that, Jane, at least on some level. But it's called closure. You need closure of some kind and if getting Red John is the only way, then so be it. If we have to wait until then, then we have to wait. He needs to be put behind bars, anyway. It won't be easy on you to wait. It'll probably hurt like hell. But, we'll get there eventually and I'll be there for you the whole way, just like I've always been."

"That you have. And I'm sure you will." He crawled over to her, bracing himself on his arms and hovering over her. "But, I wouldn't be with you if I hadn't made peace, Teresa. Don't get me wrong. I still want to get rid of him. But I'm not sacrificing any of this to do it. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, Patrick."

"Good." He leaned in for a kiss.


	21. Chapter U

**Disclaimer: Just a hobby. I make no money from writing fanfics for the Mentalist.**

**There just isn't enough Bert and Ernie :D Haha. A chapter on Cho and Rigsby, the second greatest partnership on the show. A short chapter but W will most likely be a long one. By the way, this is a video game Rigsby and Cho are playing right after they leave the hospital.**

* * *

><p>U is for UFC: Tapout<p>

"What do you think Jane and Lisbon are doing right now?" Rigsby asked as he placed a new beer for Cho on the table in front of him and sat down on the couch, picking up his discarded controller.

"I don't really want to know." Cho started the round when Rigsby was ready.

"Gross, man. I just meant whether or not she had forgiven him." He pressed the buttons, uppercutting Cho's character.

"Forgiven herself is more like it." He countered with a well-aimed right hook.

"She didn't seem a little angry at him to you?" He frantically urged his character to shake out of his daze.

Cho shrugged. "She seemed upset but she wasn't really upset with him until he pushed her." He went for a body shot.

"But he's always pushing her." He held the blocking position and waited for an opening.

"Yeah, but Lisbon's stubborn. She was in the guilty mindset. Jane's the only one that can get her to see that she isn't guilty. That made her want to point out his hypocrisy."

"But Lisbon wouldn't do it."

"No."

"But Jane knows that. He knows her. So why did he get upset?"

"Because she tiptoes around what she wants to say."

"Like Jane never avoids talking to her about things he'd finds sensitive."

"Exactly."

Rigsby paused the game when his phone alerted him of a text message. "It's Sarah. The baby's coming!"


	22. Chapter V

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Not a really long one, I'm afraid. I've been writing on some new stories that I can't wait to show you! But, I have to wait until they're ready :)**

* * *

><p>V is for Virtual Villagers<p>

Lisbon lay on the couch and played with the golden curls belonging to the man lying on top of her who was looking at her with half-lidded eyes. "So," she started, "You want to talk about what happened today?"

"What happened today?"

"Are you kidding me?"

_Lisbon walked out of her office to head to the break room for another cup of coffee. She stopped when she heard Jane call for her._

"_Lisbon! Lisbon!"_

"_What is it, Jane?" She finally found him in the bullpen, sitting at Rigsby's desk. "And what are you doing at Rigsby's desk?"_

_He waved a hand dismissively. "He isn't going to need it. I know you gave him the day off."_

"_He was exhausted. He'd been at the hospital all night. He wouldn't have been any use here, anyway."_

"_Justify it any way you want, my dear. But, more importantly, I found a cool game!"_

"_Did you now?"_

_He ignored her indulgent tone. "Yeah! It's called Virtual Villagers."_

"_Really?" Clearly she was unimpressed._

_He rolled his eyes. "Now, Lisbon, be a little more open-minded. It's fun!"_

"_So, what do you do?" She leaned on the desk to look at the computer screen._

"_You help the villagers gather food and you have to get them to work on technology so you can buy more options for gathering food. All the while, you have to populate the island." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the last part._

_She rolled her eyes at the crass gesture. "So, you've found yet another way to control people, make them do everything you want them to."_

"_Such snark," he tsked. " I'll have you know it's also full of puzzles and secrets."_

"_Because we don't get enough of that in our jobs," Cho pointed out, earning an agreeing laugh from Lisbon._

"_Fine," Jane pouted and returned to his game. Lisbon tussled his hair before leaving._

"Hey! I went to lunch with you!"

"_So, are you going to let me go to lunch alone so you can continue to play that game or are you going to take a break?" _

_Jane turned to see Lisbon waiting with blazer on and keys in hand. "Lisbon, if you wish to be graced with my presence, you need only ask." He smiled charmingly as she rolled her eyes and quickly caught up with her as she stalked off to the elevator._

"Yeah, and as soon as we came back, you went straight to the computer again and stayed there all day."

"Hey, I think I made some kind of record today."

"Most hours spent plyaing a game at work?"

"Possibly. I was thinking of how many hours I've gone without getting into trouble."

She laughed. "True…and I did get a lot of work done. Just don't make a habit out of it."

"Not going to happen. Rigsby will be back tomorrow and my villagers will probably be dead anyway. No, my dear, I shall be back on either your couch or mine come tomorrow."

"Lucky me."

"And you'll get no work done whatsoever."

"We'll see about that."

"And I'll get into double trouble to make up for today."

"Don't push it."

He chuckled and took that as his cue to talk less and kiss more as he leaned in for a kiss.


	23. Chapter W

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Thanks for the reviews and love! Not sure when X will be up since I don't have a game for that chapter just yet but I'll post it as soon as I can.**

* * *

><p>W is for What's Yours Like?<p>

"Hey, what are you doing Saturday night?" Jane cracked open an eye to see Cho standing in front of his leather couch at the CBI.

"This Saturday night?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. If I'm not solving a murder, then I don't know. Probably hanging out with Lisbon. I'm assuming you're asking for a reason."

"Summer wants you guys to come over."

"And by 'you guys' you mean…"

"You and Lisbon."

"A couples night? Really? And tell me something: why aren't you inviting Rigsby?"

"Not sure if they're ready to leave the baby alone at night. That and Summer wants to play this game that she doesn't think Sarah will play." Jane raised an eyebrow. "It's called 'What's Yours Like?' It can get a bit crass."

"Lisbon is _more_ likely than Sarah to be crass but she won't come if she knows that."

"Why do you think I'm talking to you?"

"Excellent, Cho. I'll explain the baby thing instead. And yes, you can go ahead and tell Summer we'll be there…You know, pending no murder investigations."

Cho gave him a nod and sat back down at his desk. Jane passed him on the way to Lisbon's office. "Jane." The man in question turned around. "Thanks."

He sent him a brilliant problem. "Oh, Cho, as if I'd leave you hanging with your lady love. Women aren't easy to deal with at the best of times." He turned and continued on his path. Cho smirked as he turned back to his work.

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

"Yes!"

"Jane, no!"

"I already told Cho yes."

"Why did you tell him that without talking to me?"

"Lisbon, Cho is in a relationship with Summer. Saturday night – no matter how much he enjoys spending time with us – was not his idea. It was Summer's. Now, try to think of this from a man's perspective. Do you really think things would go well for him if he went back to her and said that he couldn't get us to come?"

"Well, no."

"And did you or did you not say that Summer was good for him?"

"I did but – "

"But what?"

"Why can't Rigsby and Sarah go?"

"It's too early for them to be comfortable leaving the baby alone."

Lisbon chewed on her lip before groaning. "Alright, fine."

* * *

><p>"Okay, so here's how the game is played. Teresa is going to pick a card with a word for Kimball to guess. She's going to show it to Patrick and me. Then, Kimball's going to ask us each what ours are like, starting with Teresa. When you describe whatever it is on the card, your descriptions have to be clever, witty, or outrageous."<p>

"That's why Sarah isn't here," Lisbon whispered angrily to Jane as she reached for the box of cards.

"Then, we count up how many times it takes Kimball to guess what the card says." Summer smirked at Lisbon though she was sure the brunette thought she hadn't heard her. Cho had been right about them. The duo was a perfect and hilarious, albeit potentially dangerous, match.

"Alright, I think this'll do." Lisbon said, pushing the box away. She passed the card to Jane, who looked at it before passing it to Summer.

"Alright," Cho started. "Lisbon, what's yours like?"

"Mine is green."

"Eyes."

She smirked and shook her head. Jane looked at her. "You did that on purpose."

"The instructions said clever," Lisbon pointed out.

"Jane, what's yours like?"

"Mine clings to me when wet."

"Yeah, I'm not going there."

"Summer, what's yours like?"

"Mine is revealing."

"Clothes."

"Not quite," Jane responded.

"Okay," Cho sighed. "Lisbon, what's yours like?"

"Mine is, unfortunately, rarely used."

"We could change that," Jane looked at her with intense eyes, earning him a blush.

"Swimsuit," Cho guessed.

"Yeah, how'd you get it?" Lisbon asked.

"I don't think I've ever seen you go on vacation."

"We should change that."

"Shut up and pick a card, Jane." Lisbon smirked as she pushed the box toward him.


	24. Chapter X

**Disclaimer: It's only legal if I put this.**

**Thanks for the reviews and love! Found this a bit sooner than I would have thought, so here it is :D**

* * *

><p>X is for X-Men<p>

Lisbon watched with raised eyebrow in place as Jane placed a bear claw in front of her on the desk. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Don't look at me with that sugary-sweet smile. What did you do?"

"Eat your pastry, Lisbon."

She studied him and pushed it away a few inches, ignoring his small pout of hurt. "What did you do?"

"I swear to you, Lisbon. I did not do anything."

She raised an eyebrow again.

"It's something I _want_ to do."

She turned her attention back to the computer. "I'm listening."

"Cho and Rigsby are going to play video games tonight."

"What does that have to do with – You want a boy's night?"

"Well, it's a bit more manly than that."

"Jane, I don't care if you hang out with the guys. In fact, you _should_ hang out with the guys. It'll be good for you."

"You don't care?"

"Do you want me to care?"

"Well, I was expecting a little caring. I mean, it is a good four hours or so without me."

"Ha! I think I'll manage." She turned to pick at her bear claw. "What games are you guys going to play?"

"Rigsby said he was bringing over X-Men."

"X-Men?"

"Uh-huh."

"Pick Wolverine."

"Wolverine?"

"Yeah, if you don't pick Wolverine, then I'll have to care."

* * *

><p>"So, how'd it go, man? Did she say yes?" Rigsby asked.<p>

"Huh? Yeah."

"Awesome!"

"Stop testing her."

Jane looked at Cho. "Did I say I was testing her?"

"You didn't have to."

"Can we ever just play a game?" Rigsby groaned.

"So, you're not acting like this because you're worried that she doesn't want to spend every minute with you? That she might not need you?"

"She needs me!"

"How?"

"Would you two stop it?" Rigsby stood up. Lisbon came out of her office to see what was going on. Before she could ask anything, Rigsby continued.

"Cho, Jane's allowed to feel insecure. Lisbon is a fantastic woman who's independent. Everyone needs to feel needed. Not mention this is the first real relationship he's had since his wife. So, knock it off. Pushing his buttons isn't going to make him feel any better or stop freaking out or stop doing the wrong things!

"Jane, Cho's right no matter how wrong he is to point it out. Lisbon doesn't need to spend every minute with you to need you in a more, you know, general sense. And if you stop testing Lisbon and be grateful for the fact that she's with you and that she's not nagging you, you'll enjoy your relationship even more!"

"Funny," Lisbon spoke as she leaned against the outside of her office and enjoyed the three panicked faces staring wide-eyed back at her, "I was under the impression that he was enjoying his relationship just fine."

Jane sent Rigsby a dirty look as he marched up to Lisbon and ushered her into her office. "Okay, before you say anything – "

"Stop, Jane. This is better than you having to admit in front of everyone that you were wrong."

"What?"

"You can admit it to Cho and Rigsby tonight when you go over to play X-Men and pick Wolverine."

"What is it with you and Wolverine?"

"That's for me to know and for you to figure out."

"Lisbon, shouldn't we talk about what just happened?"

"Alright, are you happy with our relationship?"

"Yes."

"But you're worried that you need me more than I need you?"

"No."

"Jane."

"Yes."

She sighed. "Jane, I have waited for you for a _very_ long time, longer than I care to admit. Being busy with work isn't the only reason I haven't had a real relationship since you and I met."

"No one compares, eh, Lisbon?" He grinned cheekily.

She sent him a reprimanding look. "Jane, if I didn't need you, I wouldn't be with you. I wouldn't have put up with half the crap you've pulled over the years. Now, because I love you, I'm going to keep you from embarrassing yourself in front of the entire CBI. But, because they are my boys, you will admit that they were right when you see them tonight or you and I will have problems."

"I'll sing it from the rooftops if you'll repeat the first part of that speech."

"What are you – " She froze.

Jane shot her a megawatt smile. "Come on," he coaxed. "You've already said it. You can say it again."

"Well you haven't said it out loud either," she retorted, not caring that she sounded a bit childish.

"I love you, Teresa."

"I love you too, Patrick."

* * *

><p>"So," Rigsby looked between his two teammates, "can we all just agree to play the game? Nothing but X-Men here tonight."<p>

"I call Wolverine," Jane said.

"Why do you get to be Wolverine?" Cho asked.

"I have to figure out something."


	25. Chapter Y

**Disclaimer: I don't think anyone really reads these anymore.**

**Well, dear readers we are nearing the end of this series. Thanks to all who have reviewed and read! I send you all virtual cupcakes! Crap, now I want a cupcake. Oh, and don't worry if you don't really get the game or references. I don't really know anything about Yugioh. I had to look it up online. You have no idea how uninspiring it was to write this chapter. My apologies to anyone who likes Yugioh.**

* * *

><p>Y is for YuGiOh<p>

"You've got to be kidding me." Lisbon looked around the ballroom turned tournament arena with disbelief.

"Is it really so surprising, Lisbon? Nerds are people too; and everybody needs a hobby."

"These guys could use a girlfriend instead," Van Pelt agreed with Lisbon.

"Oh, well go ahead and take your pick, Grace," Jane smiled at her. "I'm sure anyone of these guys would love to take you out for a bite."

She scowled at him before leaving to go question some of the players from the tournament. Lisbon lightly smacked him on the arm. "Come on, let's go talk to the group wearing weird costumes."

"Good choice, Lisbon. Being in costume sends the message they are the most dedicated of the bunch and, therefore, the most likely to kill our vic over a card game."

"Not mention they'll have more information on motive."

"Assuming they know the victim."

"No, either way." She stopped when he stopped and fixed her with an inquisitive look. "Cards like these usually have rare cards, expensive ones."

"Expensive enough to kill over?"

"_Rare_ enough to kill over. People who spend this much money on something as silly as cards aren't in it for the money. They're in it for the win."

"Well then let's go find out why our vic lost."

They both stopped at the ring of her cell phone. "Go on, I have to take this. I'll catch up to you."

* * *

><p>"Did Thomas have any cards that were considered rare? That somebody else might want?"<p>

"Well, yeah, we all do."

"You can't make it here with a standard deck of cards."

He looked to see Lisbon had joined them. "You were right. Our vic had rare cards."

She looked at the group of awkward boys, all staring at her as if she was a wild animal who would either spook or attack if they so much as breathed. "Do any of you know what kind of rare cards Thomas had that may have been stolen?"

"Uh – it – uh – depends on – um – how rare they were," one of the guys finally croaked out.

Lisbon looked to Jane. "What does that mean?"

He turned to the group. "Is there more than one kind of rare?"

The one Jane assumed to be the know-it-all of the group laughed, the other falling in line. "Noobs. There's rare, super rare, ultra rare, secret rare, ultimate rare, parallel rare, ghost rare, and gold ultra rare."

Lisbon looked to Jane. "I think we may be in over our heads here."

* * *

><p>Jane sat on his couch drinking a cup of tea, watching the as Grace and Lisbon looked at the top half of a torn game card and Rigsby and Cho looked at the bottom half of the card.<p>

"So," Lisbon said as she tilted the card at different angles, "this is why our vic was killed? Because a card was torn in a fight over who the card belonged to because of some debatable outcome of silly card game?"

"That's how it goes sometimes," said Cho.

"Lisbon, I forgot to ask earlier. Why were we put on this case, anyway?" Jane asked, causing all the agents to look up at her, curious of her answer.

"Betram's newphew's son or something like that was there at the tournament."

"Bertram's nephew's son?" Jane raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

Lisbon waved a hand dismissively. "Someone important's relative."

"Well, closed case donuts, then?" Rigsby asked and they all headed for the elevator.


	26. Chapter Z

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have I ever owned, the Mentalist.**

**So, I was holding off mentioning Rigsby's kid's name until they mentioned it on the show. No such luck but we did find out the gender in 4x18. Hope you don't mind me picking a name on my own. Also, you'll notice that I let him be born in chapter U and in this chapter he is about 3 or 4 or so. So, I'm having this chapter be a sort of an epilogue/finale for this particular spin-off series. I hope you've all enjoyed this! It was tough coming up with games for some chapters. **

**I do have two more spin-off series planned, alphabetic movies and alphabetic tv shows. But I'll probably be posting other stories I've been working on first. If you guys are interested in the upcoming spin-offs, leave any requests for movies or tv series in a review. The two upcoming series will be one-shots. Some chapters will be scenes where Jane and Lisbon watch the tv show or movie. Others will be reinacting an episode from the tv show or movie (could be a scene from a movie or the whole movie, just condensed). Anyway, more on that later. On with the chapter. Sorry for the long AN. By the way, I found this game on a website that has free online games for kids, many educational. .com**

* * *

><p>Z is for Zed<p>

"What do you think of him?" Lisbon asked the toddler on her lap, smiling as he fiddled with her keyboard. "His name is Zed."

"Zed!"

"Yeah, and you know what Zed wants more than anything?"

"Huh?"

"He wants a space suit made of gold!" She added that magical quality to her voice that so many did when talking to little kids. "Do you want to help him find the things to make his space suit of gold?"

"No."

She stifled a laugh. "Well, I'm going to help him find all the pieces of gold so he can build his space suit. Will you help me?"

"No."

"Please? It's really hard. I don't think I can do it by myself. I need your help. Will you help me please?"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"Welcome."

Lisbon chuckled softly and started up the game.

* * *

><p>Jane stopped outside Lisbon's door. He turned to see Rigsby sitting down at his desk. "You coming?"<p>

Rigsby turned his computer chair to face him. "You kidding? Lisbon's going to kill you when she finds out we just lost our only lead."

"Correction: We didn't lose him. He's just lawyered up, as all." Rigsby fixed him with a look that said having a lawyer was as good as losing him. Jane opened the door with a disgruntled noise, stopping and grinning like an idiot at the site before him. The little miniature Rigsby was sitting on the tough leader's lap, cheering as she played an online game under his instruction.

"Wat out, Teesa! Wat out! Dino-or! Dino-or!"

Lisbon gasped. "Oh no! He got me!"

The little boy turned around in her lap. "It otay, Teesa," he said comfortingly before putting his tiny arms around neck for a hug.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled at him. She spotted Jane in the doorway. "Look who it is!"

He turned around to face the door. "Patrick!"

"And what did Uncle Patrick find while he was out?" Lisbon asked.

"Uncle Patrick had a conversation with a bad guy that didn't turn out so well."

"Kyle," Lisbon said and the little boy turned in her lap to face her. "I think Uncle Patrick might have done something bad and I need to talk to him."

"Uncle Patrick bad?"

"That's right and what happens to bad boys?"

"Punished!"

"That's right! Now, I need to talk to Uncle Patrick alone. How about you go see your Daddy?"

"Otay." He kissed her cheek before climbing down off of her lap to run out into the bullpen.

"Traitor," Jane mumbled as he shut the office door behind the little boy.

"Alright, Jane, spill it."

"Good news or bad news?"

"Bad news."

"How masochistic, Lisbon. Okay, bad news. Smith's lawyered up."

"Damn it, Jane. You insulted him, didn't you? I swear. I can't trust you to just go out and question someone like a normal person."

"Good news is I'm even more positive that he's guilty now."

"If being insulted by your observations made people guilty, there'd be no one left on the streets."

"Nice zinger." She smiled and they were quiet for a while as Lisbon returned to her paperwork. He studied her for a short while before speaking again. "Kyle really likes you, you know."

"True. I think he may be a little out my age range, though."

He chuckled. "Do you want one?"

"Oh God, Jane. You're asking me about kids in the office?"

"The adorable mini-Rigsby gave me the perfect opening."

"We can talk about it later tonight if you want. Right now I have to figure out how to clean up the mess you've made." She stood and he followed her out into the bullpen.

"Punished!" Kyle greeted.

"Who got punished?" Cho asked.

"Uncle Patrick didn't eat his vegetables," Kyle explained, earning him a raised eyebrow from the Asian agent.

"That's right," Lisbon agreed. "That's why you get to stay here with Uncle Patrick while we all go out to get the bad guy."

They all tussled the little boy's hair as they left the bullpen. Jane turned to the little boy. "So, Kyle, what game were you playing with Aunt Teresa earlier?"

"Zed!"


End file.
